Blair: No plans to attack Iran
Thursday, 22 Feb 2007 10:45
Iran has shown little sign of falling into place with UN demands
Tony Blair has insisted that there are no plans to launch military action against Iran.
The prime minister was speaking as fears of an imminent conflict in the country grew after a UN deadline for Tehran to cease its nuclear programme passed apparently unmet.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made it clear that he does not intend to call a halt to his nuclear enrichment programme, despite calls from the west to do so.
And with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog, due to report today that Iran has failed to meet this week's deadline, tougher sanctions are set to be put in place.
But Mr Blair has sought to play down reports that a military conflict may be on the agenda.
"Nobody is preparing for military action and nobody wants military action," he told the Today programme.
"I think what is important is to pursue the political and the diplomatic channel. I think it is the only sensible way that we are going to get a solution to the Iranian issue.
"I personally think that you will never have a situation where you can say that there are no set of circumstances in which you could ever conceive of anything different to that.
"I can't think that it would be right to use military action against Iran."
He added that the US held a similar view, saying that he knew of "nobody in Washington who is calling for military action against Iran".
According to Mr Blair, efforts to secure a diplomatic and political resolution are the "viable and sensible" option to solve the current crisis.
Iran has consistently defended its right to pursue nuclear enrichment for peaceful means and Mr Ahmadinejad has this week reiterated his position.
"The Iranian nation defends its rights," he said in a speech according to the ISNA state news agency.
"The nuclear right is demanded by all Iranians and no one in the world can deprive the Iranian nation of its right."