Powell Denies U.S. Plans to Attack Iran

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said Wednesday that there were no plans to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, despite the Pentagon’s recent agreement to sell Israel 500 “bunker-buster” bombs capable of disabling underground weapons plants.

But speaking to reporters here, Powell pointedly added, “Every nation has all options available to it” to stop Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons.

Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. The Bush administration believes Tehran is secretly trying to build atomic weapons. Iran announced Tuesday that it would continue preparations to enrich uranium in defiance of the U.N. nuclear agency’s demand Saturday to stop. Enriched uranium can be used to make fuel for nuclear power plants or weapons.

“We’re talking about diplomacy and political efforts to stop this movement on the part of the Iranians toward a nuclear weapon, and we’re not talking about strikes,” Powell said. “Every option, though, of course remains on the table.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Wednesday that the issue should be sent to the U.N. Security Council “to put an end to this nightmare.”

“We know that the Europeans are trying now to engage with the Iranians, but we know that the Iranians will never abandon their plans to develop nuclear weapons. They’re only trying to hide it,” he said.

Shalom sidestepped the question of whether Israel -- which is presumed to have nuclear weapons -- would take military action against Iran if it continued to resist U.N. directives on its nuclear program. In 1981, Israel bombed Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor.

Iran revealed two years ago that it had secretly imported nuclear equipment and material -- a breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The U.S. has been trying to persuade the U.N. nuclear agency’s 35-member board of governors to refer the issue to the Security Council, which could impose sanctions or authorize intervention.

But the International Atomic Energy Agency has not proved that Iran is developing a weapon. On Saturday, its board demanded that Iran stop all enrichment activities and give a complete history of its nuclear program by Nov. 25.

Iran said Tuesday that it would defy the IAEA and proceed with plans to convert 40 tons of yellowcake, or milled uranium, to enrichment-ready material.

“We have made our choice: Yes to peaceful nuclear technology and no to nuclear weapons,” Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said in Tehran. “We will continue on this path even if it means cutting off international supervision.”

The preparations are not a breach of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which recognizes countries’ right to develop nuclear power plants. But flouting the IAEA’s demands puts Iran on a collision course with the United States in November.

“They’ve thumbed their nose at the international community before and they’re doing it again,” Undersecretary of State for Nonproliferation John Bolton said. “The important thing is to change the political calculus of this issue. Put it in the spotlight, center stage, here in New York.”

Even if the issue came to the Security Council, it is unclear how the body would deal with it. China, a veto-wielding member of the panel, opposes sanctions, which it calls counterproductive.

“I’m not sure that the Security Council is such a threat,” said Kenneth Pollack, deputy director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution.

That leaves the U.S. trying to persuade European nations to impose sanctions outside the world body. “The last option is a military attack, which I don’t think anyone wants,” Pollack said.

Pentagon officials confirmed Tuesday the soon-to-be- approved sale of up to $319 million in air-launched munitions to Israel, including 500 BLU-109 bunker-buster bombs, which can burrow more than 10 feet into reinforced concrete and take out underground weapons silos and command-and-control facilities.

The proposed package also includes 4,000 other “dumb bombs” plus 5,000 satellite kits that convert dumb bombs into precision-guided weapons.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned on Wednesday that Iran posed a growing risk.

“Iran is involved in efforts which pose a clear danger to Israel -- efforts to develop nuclear weapons,” he told Israel Radio. “They have already succeeded in developing ballistic missiles with a range that covers Israel.”

“Dealing with this threat does not need to be done by Israel [by] itself,” he said. “This calls for an international effort to increase pressure on Iran.”

Sharon added, however, that Israel would “continue taking all defensive precautions necessary to maintain its defensive capabilities as well as deterrence.”

Staff writers Laura King in Jerusalem and Mark Mazzetti in Washington contributed to this report.