CAIRO, April 18 (Xinhua) -- A visiting U.S. senator has said that his country is not planning a military strike on Iran and Washington still prefers a diplomatic solution to Tehran's nuclear issue, the Egyptian Gazette daily reported on Tuesday.

    Republican Sen. Richard Shelby made the remarks when meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday, along with two other congressmen, said the English daily report.

    "Although I'm not authorized to talk on behalf of President George W. Bush, I know no U.S. plans to attack Iran and Washington still favors a diplomatic way to solve the problem," said Shelby.

    Describing his meeting with Mubarak as "good and positive",Shelby said their talks covered ties between Egypt and the U.S. as well as issues of joint interest including the Mideast peace issue and the latest developments in the region in general.

    Shelby, who led a visiting U.S. delegation of congressmen, is currently on a multi-leg foreign tour, which will also take them to Libya, Ethiopia, South Africa and Argentina. Enditem