British officials fear U.S. will attack Iran: newspaper

Senior British officials fear that U.S. President George W. Bush will attack Iran before the end of his second term if he concludes that diplomacy has failed, The Times newspaper reported Friday.

They fear that Bush will seek to "settle the Iranian question through military means" next year, the daily reported, quoting unidentified senior British government sources.

"He (Bush) will not want to leave it unresolved for his successor," said one.

But the report said there are "deep fissures" within the U.S. administration. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are two important opponents of military action, while the hawks are led by Vice-President Dick Cheney, who is urging Bush to keep the military option "on the table."

On Thursday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said there is "no planning" under way for an attack on Iran, and added that he knew of "nobody" in Washington who was planning an invasion either.

"You can't absolutely predict every set of circumstances that comes about but sitting here now talking to you, I can tell you Iran is not Iraq," Blair told BBC Radio.

Iran has failed to comply with a United Nations Security Council demand to halt uranium enrichment, according to a report issued by Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Source: Xinhua