Obama sees no basis for Iranian attack on US

New York Statesman (IANS) Monday 6th February, 2012

US President Barack Obama has said he saw no basis for rumours that Iran may be planning an attack on the US.

"We don't see any evidence that they (Iran) have those intentions or capabilities right now," he said in an interview with NBC Sunday night.

Tensions over Iran's nuclear activities have reached boiling point since the Islamic Republic announced earlier this month that it had launched a nuclear enrichment programme at a well-protected underground facility near the city of Qom.

A number of experts do not rule out that the diplomatic spat with Iran and unilateral US and EU sanctions may develop into a full-scale military conflict. The anti-Iranian coalition may include Georgia, Turkey, Israel and Persian Gulf monarchies.

In his Sunday's interview Obama said he opposed military operations in the Persian Gulf region.

"Obviously, any kind of additional military activity inside the Gulf is disruptive and has a big effect on us, it can have a big effect on oil prices," he said. "We've still got troops in Afghanistan, which borders Iran. And so our preferred solution here is diplomatic, we're going to keep on pushing on that front."

Obama also discounted US media reports that Israel, which views Iran's uranium enrichment activity as a major threat to its security, may attack Iran in four months.

A Washington Post journalist Friday attributed the statement to US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who refused to officially comment on the statement.

"I don't think that Israel has made a decision on what they need to do," the US president said, adding, however, that "we're not going to take any option off the table".

--IANS/RIA Novosti

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