US tags Iran as biggest threat

WASHINGTON – Making no apologies for the war in Iraq, the United States warned states like North Korea and especially Iran yesterday that it will take pre-emptive military action if necessary to protect itself.

“We may face no greater challenge from a single country than from Iran,” the White House said in a blueprint called the “National Security Strategy” of the United States, a copy of which was obtained by AFP. North Korea “presents a long and bleak record of duplicity and bad-faith negotiations” the document said, warning: “We will continue to take all necessary measures to protect our national and economic security against the adverse effects of their bad conduct.In other areas, the United States warned Russia that its relations with the West depend on pursuing democratic reforms and urged China to follow economic opening with political freedom – while saying that Washington would “hedge” for the possibility that Beijing does not do so.The document made clear that Washington does not view the failure to find the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) at the core of the public case for the 2003 invasion of Iraq as a blow against its strategy of preventive war.That strategy was fleshed out in the 2002 version of the document, which built on US President George W.Bush’s position that the September 11, 2001 terrorist strikes made Cold War deterrence obsolete and required bolder action.”The place of pre-emption in our national security strategy remains the same,” the White House said yesterday.”We do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur.”Bush had made Saddam Hussein’s alleged possession of chemical and biological weapons and pursuit of nuclear arms the centrepiece of his case for war, but no such weapons have been found.”There will always be some uncertainty” about banned weapons programmes, the White House said.”We have no doubt that the world is better off if tyrants know that they pursue WMD at their own peril.”Washington has been locked in disputes with Pyongyang over its nuclear arms programme and with Tehran over its civilian nuclear power efforts, which the US charges is a cover for efforts to develop atomic weapons.Bush and senior aides have worked with a group of international partners and insisted that the United States prefers a diplomatic solution – while refusing to rule out military action.The document branded North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba, Belarus, Burma and Zimbabwe as tyrannies, but warned that tyrannies that seek weapons of mass destruction “threaten our immediate security interests.”- Nampa-AFPNorth Korea “presents a long and bleak record of duplicity and bad-faith negotiations” the document said, warning: “We will continue to take all necessary measures to protect our national and economic security against the adverse effects of their bad conduct.In other areas, the United States warned Russia that its relations with the West depend on pursuing democratic reforms and urged China to follow economic opening with political freedom – while saying that Washington would “hedge” for the possibility that Beijing does not do so.The document made clear that Washington does not view the failure to find the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) at the core of the public case for the 2003 invasion of Iraq as a blow against its strategy of preventive war.That strategy was fleshed out in the 2002 version of the document, which built on US President George W.Bush’s position that the September 11, 2001 terrorist strikes made Cold War deterrence obsolete and required bolder action.”The place of pre-emption in our national security strategy remains the same,” the White House said yesterday.”We do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur.”Bush had made Saddam Hussein’s alleged possession of chemical and biological weapons and pursuit of nuclear arms the centrepiece of his case for war, but no such weapons have been found.”There will always be some uncertainty” about banned weapons programmes, the White House said.”We have no doubt that the world is better off if tyrants know that they pursue WMD at their own peril.”Washington has been locked in disputes with Pyongyang over its nuclear arms programme and with Tehran over its civilian nuclear power efforts, which the US charges is a cover for efforts to develop atomic weapons.Bush and senior aides have worked with a group of international partners and insisted that the United States prefers a diplomatic solution – while refusing to rule out military action.The document branded North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba, Belarus, Burma and Zimbabwe as tyrannies, but warned that tyrannies that seek weapons of mass destruction “threaten our immediate security interests.”- Nampa-AFP