CANBERRA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Visiting U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney left
open the military option against Iran Saturday while Australian Prime Minister
John Howard joined the U.S. concern about Iran's nuclear activities, warning
that Iran would be emboldened if the coalition was defeated in Iraq.
Cheney was speaking at a joint news conference after talks with Howard in
Sydney, Australia's largest city.
Cheney said the United States was "deeply concerned" by Iran's activities.
"They appear to be pursuing the development of nuclear weapons," he said.
"It would be a serious mistake if a nation such as Iran became a nuclear
power," he said.
Cheney said Washington preferred to work with its allies to persuade Iran
to give up its nuclear weapons and at the same time, all options are available
to deal with the issue.
"But I have made the point, and the president (George W Bush) has made the
point, that all options are still on the table," he said.
"The next step is now being debated," said Cheney.
Meanwhile, Howard linked the war of Iraq to Iran.
"I don't think there would be a country whose influence and potential clout
would be more enhanced in that part of the world than Iran's would be if the
coalition was defeated in Iraq," Howard said.
"I don't think you can separate the two," he said.
"Iran would be emboldened if the coalition was defeated in Iraq," he added.
"And that would be seen to have occurred if there was a significant
coalition withdrawal," he said.
"Iran would benefit enormously from that," he said.
"For many countries in the Middle East, not just Israel, that would be a
nightmare scenario," stressed the prime minister.
Howard is facing growing domestic pressure from the opposition and the
public to withdraw from Iraq.
Cheney and Howard's warnings came after British Prime Minister Tony Blair
on Tuesney announced plans to start pulling British troops from Iraq, and Iran
refused to suspend uranium enrichment activities by Feb. 21 as demanded by the
U.N. Security Council.
