U.S. Denies Report On Targeting Weapons In Iran

17 January 2005 -- A spokesman for U.S. President George Bush is denying a magazine report that the administration has selected suspected weapons sites in Iran for possible air strikes.
A White House spokesman said "The New Yorker" magazine article is "riddled with inaccuracies" and the administration is using diplomacy to address the issue of suspected weapons development in Iran.

The magazine quoted unnamed sources as saying the Bush administration has conducted spying missions inside Iran for months, gathering intelligence on suspected nuclear, chemical, and missile sites.

The sources said Iran is "the next strategic target," and that Pakistan is providing information in a U.S. search for possible underground nuclear installations in Iran.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman said today that "there is no such collaboration" and Pakistan has no information about Iran's nuclear program.

(AFP/AP)