Iran hits back in war of words about war

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran, responding to Western debate about the possibility of war over its nuclear plans, said on Wednesday it would use any means to defend itself if attacked and could bomb Israel if the Jewish state launched a strike.

Its latest swipes came despite French efforts to row back from a comment by its foreign minister that publicly raised the spectre of war over Tehran's disputed nuclear activities.

The semi-official Fars News Agency quoted an air force commander as saying Iran had drawn up a plan to bomb Israel if the Jewish state attacked it first.

Some analysts have speculated that Israel could seek to stage a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, where Israel and Western nations believe Tehran is developing technology to build bombs. Iran denies the charge.

"We have drawn up a plan so that, in the event of foolishness by this (Israeli) regime, Iran's bombers can retaliate by attacking Israel's soil," Mohammad Alavi, deputy commander for air force operations, was quoted as saying.

The White House said Alavi's comments were "totally unprovoked and unnecessary".

"I won't ascribe motives to them but it does seem provocative. I would tell you that Israel doesn't want war with its neighbors," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.

Earlier, when asked if Iran would block the Hormuz Strait, the world's most important waterway for oil shipments, if attacked, government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham dismissed it as "far-fetched" that anybody would take "this foolish option".

But, "we would use all our means to defend ourselves because territorial integrity is a key issue for every country," he said.

The world's fourth-largest crude producer has said it will not rule out using oil as a weapon if attacked.

Iran has previously threatened to hit U.S. regional interests if the United States launches a military strike against the Islamic Republic.

U.S. naval chiefs are concerned that Iran could resort to mining the strait and the wider Gulf in a major conflict.

PARIS

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sought to ease concerns by insisting on Wednesday that diplomacy with "teeth" was the focus, but Washington has not ruled out military action should such a route fail.

"It can't be business as usual with Iran, but our view is that the diplomatic track can work. It has to have both a way for Iran to pursue a peaceful resolution of this issue and it has to have teeth," she told a joint news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

Russia's U.N. ambassador poured cold water on calls from Western states for a new set of U.N. sanctions on Iran.

Comments by French officials, including President Nicolas Sarkozy, have driven the latest speculation this week about a possible war with Iran.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Monday everything must be done to avoid war, a day after Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Paris should prepare for that possibility though he did not think any war was imminent.

Alavi of Iran's air force also dismissed Israel's ability to launch strikes.

He said Iranian industry had developed new weaponry to confront any attacker, including long-range missiles, fighters, smart munitions and heat-seeking and video-guided munitions.

Western military experts say Iran has developed skills particularly in modifying equipment supplied by third parties, such as China, or U.S. weaponry bought before the 1979 revolution.

But they say Tehran rarely gives enough details about claimed advances to make an accurate assessment.

"That sort of comment as reported out of Iran is unhelpful. It is not constructive and it almost seems provocative," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

She also reiterated U.S. calls for Iran to comply with Western demands that it stop enriching uranium.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met a top Iranian security official for informal talks about the nuclear standoff, a ministry spokesman said.

Hassan Rohani is a member of the Supreme National Security Council and Tehran's former nuclear negotiator.

(Additional reporting by Caren Bohan in Washington, Sue Pleming in Shannon, Ireland, Oleg Shchedrov in Moscow)