Rice warns Iran: US will defend Israel
2 hours ago

TBILISI (AFP) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran on Friday that Washington had beefed up its security presence in the Gulf and would not hesitate to defend Israel and other allies in the region.

"We will defend American interests and the interests of our allies," Rice told reporters, responding to a question on an Iranian threat to "set fire" to Israel.

"We take very strongly our obligation to defend our allies and we intend to do that," she said at a news conference in Tbilisi.

"In the Gulf area, the United States has enhanced its security capacity, its security presence and we are working closely with all our allies... to make (sure) they are capable of defending themselves.

The comments by the United States' top diplomat came after Iran again ratcheted up its rhetoric against the West and on Wednesday test-fired a missile capable of hitting Israel.

Rice did not specify what steps the United States had taken to boost its security presence in the Gulf region, but said its plans focused on "America's intention and determination to prevent Iran from threatening our interest or the interests of our friends and allies.

"I don't think the Iranians are too confused either about the capabilities and power of the United States to do exactly that," Rice said at the close of a brief visit to ex-Soviet Georgia.

An escalation in tensions has fuelled international concern that the stand-off over the contested Iranian nuclear drive might lead to war.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates however played down such fears on Wednesday, saying war between the United States and Iran was not close and that everyone realised "what the consequences of any kind of a conflict would be."

The West and particularly Israel fear Iran may be trying to develop nuclear weapons under cover of its stated aim of developing a civilian nuclear energy programme. Iran has denied the charge.

On Tuesday an aide to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali Shirazi, said Iran would "set on fire" Israel and the US navy in the Gulf as its first response to any American attack over its nuclear programme.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also called for US military bases across the world to be "eradicated" and mocked US President George W. Bush, saying that attacking Iran would be "political suicide" for the US leader.

Then on Wednesday Iran drew an international outcry by test-firing from the Iranian desert a missile whose range puts Israel within reach.

Rice on Thursday said Iran had been offered incentives in negotiations with Western states aimed at ending the stand-off over Iran's nuclear intentions and called for a positive response from Tehran.

"We have also laid out a path where Iran could enter the international community in a positive way," Rice said.

She said it was time for Iran to "get on the right side of the international community. It ought to be talking about that, not about threats against America or threats against America's allies because frankly it's not going to do them any good," Rice said.

She also alluded to US plans to develop a missile defence system in eastern Europe intended in part to reduce the Iranian threat.

Earlier in the week Rice signed an agreement in Prague by which the Czech Republic would host part of the proposed missile shield, which Washington says is intended to protect against "rogue states" such as Iran.

"We are also able to look to the future of a missile defence system that will make it more difficult for Iran to threaten, be bellicose and say terrible things," Rice said.

Ex-Soviet Georgia is a close ally of the United States and is located on Iran's northern border in the Caucasus mountains.

Rice was in the country to affirm US support for the pro-Western course of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jQBFiLBz9Bgu9yUepyiRovIiFV0A