'Lebanon war setback for Iran nuclear ambitions'

Rome, Jul 27: The war in Lebanon may have somewhat distracted the world from Iran's nuclear ambitions, but it will increase scrutiny in the longer term, a senior US official said today.

The US ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Gregory Schulte, told reporters in Rome the conflict had highlighted Iran's support for Hizbollah, branded a terrorist organisation by Washington.

It had also shown why a nuclear-armed Iran would be a regional threat, he said.

''Maybe it is taking the focus a little bit off the nuclear issue right now. But I think it has put increased focus on Iran and the implications of its behaviour,'' Schulte said.

Israel has accused Hizbollah of coordinating its abduction of two Israeli soldiers with Iran to allow it to divert attention away from its nuclear programme. The ensuing conflict has since taken centre-stage in world affairs.

Responding to a question on how the war had affected the US campaign to halt Iran's nuclear fuel programme, Schulte said: ''In the longer term it emphasises to us why it is so important that we deal with this''.

Schulte said that the Lebanon conflict also highlighted why a nuclear Iran could trigger an arms race in the West Asia.

''Publicly the Arab governments are not nearly as vocal as the U.S. or Italian government on this issue. But privately they are perhaps even more concerned than we are,'' he said.

''After all, these are the countries that sit right in the region. These are the countries that are within range of the Shahab-3 missile force.''

REUTERS

Related Stories