Bush did not deny the weekend reports by "The Washington Post" and "The New Yorker" magazine, but described them as "wild speculation." U.S. officials say they are seeking a diplomatic solution to the dispute over Iran's nuclear program. But they say all options remain on the table.
"I read the articles in the newspapers this weekend," Bush said today. "It was just wild speculation, by the way. What you are reading is wild speculation, which is, kind of a, you know -- happens quite frequently here in the nation's capital."
Bush added that the "doctrine of prevention is to work together to prevent the Iranians from having a nuclear weapon. I know, I know we hear in Washington, you know, prevention means force. It doesn't mean force necessarily. In this case, it means diplomacy."
U.S. White House spokesman Scott McClellan also said the focus is on a diplomatic solution. "We're working quite hard on what is a very difficult issue. And we have had some success over the past year in building greater and greater consensus about the fact that Iran should not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, the technology to build a nuclear weapon, or the know-how to build a nuclear weapon."
EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana on April 10 also dismissed the reports, but said that the EU could consider sanctions on Iran if diplomatic efforts fail.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said Washington is not seeking a solution to the dispute but is instead trying to turn it into a crisis.
(compiled from agency reports)