WASHINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. military's Joint
Chiefs of Staff, Michael Mullen, was expected to visit Israel to discuss topics
including Iran nuclear issue, the defense department said on Wednesday.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell confirmed with
reporters that Mullen has left on Tuesday for a trip overseas that has been
planned for months "to visit counterparts as well as combatant commands,"
including those in Israel.
"I believe this is a routine opportunity for Chairman
Mullen to engage his counterpart in Israel on military-to-military matters,"
Morrell said. "they will no doubt discuss the threat posed by Iran."
He also noted that although the U.S. government was
committed to use diplomacy and international sanctions to solve the Iran nuclear
issue, it also retain military strike as an option if it is needed.
Mullen's visit came as speculations rose in the
United States that Israel was seeking the U.S. tactic approval for possible
attack against Iran nuclear sites.
The U.S. television network CBS reported earlier that
Israel does not want to wait until the next U.S. administration to strike
Iranian nuclear sites, due to uncertainty of new government's policies on Iran.
However, former Israeli defense chief, Benjamin
Ben-Eliezer, has denied the speculation during an interview with Russian
reporters, saying "we are not planning any attack against Iran."
Despite being accused by the West of attempting to
acquire nuclear weapons, Iran has been defending its rights to develop civilian
nuclear programs.
WASHINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W.
Bush believes the Iran's nuclear issue can be solved diplomatically, White House
spokeswoman Dana Perino said Wednesday.
"What I can tell you is President Bush believes that
we can solve this issue diplomatically, and that everyone's preference is to
solve it diplomatically, not just in the United States, but with our allies and
certainly with Israel," Perino said at the daily briefing. Full story
TEHRAN, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Majlis (parliament)
Speaker Ali Larijani said on Wednesday the West should seriously heed IAEA chief
Mohamed ElBaradei's warnings and prevent provoking Iran, the Press TV satellite
channel reported.
"There is little chance for interaction. You have
reached the final minutes of your defeated game," Larijani rhetorically
addressed Western powers during a Majlis open session in Tehran on
Wednesday. Full story
GENEVA, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The European Union will
continue to pursue a "duel strategy" of negotiations and sanctions on Iran's
nuclear activity, the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said here on
Wednesday.
"With Iran, we have a dual strategy: on the one hand
negotiations ... and at the same time action through the United Nations," Solana
told reporters after addressing a disarmament conference in Geneva. Full story
VIENNA, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister
Mahdi Safari has said Iran would withdraw money from European Union (EU)
countries and invest in other regions in response to EU sanctions against Iran.
In an interview published by the Austrian newspaper
"Die Presse" Wednesday, Safari pointed out that the EU's sanctions against Iran
would lead to serious consequences, namely Iran withdrawing money from EU
countries. Full story
TEHRAN, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said on Monday that the Zionist regime is not in
a position to make threats against Iran.
Israel has not enough capacity to threaten Iran,
Hosseini told reporters at his weekly press conference. Full story
JERUSALEM, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert's office Saturday declined to comment on an Israeli drill reportedly held
in preparation for a military raid on Iran's nuclear facilities, local daily
Ha'aretz reported.
Olmert's office made the response after an Israeli
political official familiar with the reported exercise told the London-based
Times earlier Saturday that the Iranians should view the exercise as a
warning. Full story
