UK will not join any attack on Iran, says British minister

Islamic Republic News Agency:

Cabinet ministers have made it clear to Prime Minister Tony Blair that they will not support any US military strike against Iran, the Independent newspaper reported Tuesday.

"I don't think there will be an attack on Iran. Certainly we would not be party to any such attack like that," Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain was quoted saying in a fringe meeting at Labour's annual conference in Brighton, southern England.

It was said that Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had drawn a "line in the sand" against the use of force against Iran over its nuclear program. READ MORE

The report follows press speculation of a rift between Blair and Straw, with the British prime minister backing the refusal by US President George W Bush to rule out using military action against Iran.

Last week, the British Foreign Secretary insisted that the dispute over Iran's nuclear program can only be resolved diplomatically. "This will not be resolved by military means, let's be clear about that," he said.

Defense Secretary John Reid also told Sky News on Sunday that military action against Iran was not being discussed as a solution to the west's standoff over its nuclear program.

"Nobody in the British government or anybody I speak to is talking about that," Reid said. "No-one is discussing military action against Iran," he emphasized.