US urges Iran to engage with west on its nukes

A senior United States official on Sunday urged Iran to "engage" with the West over its nuclear program, after an Iranian military chief warned that an attack on its nuclear sites would be crushed and as Iran began war games aiming at protecting its nuclear facilities from attack.

"We would prefer that the Iranian regime follow through on the opportunity to engage," said Ellen Tauscher, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security at the U.S. State Department.

"If persuasion doesn't work, pressure is going to have to be the next line of action," Tauscher warned, suggesting a further round of sanctions against Iran.

Speaking at the Halifax International Security Forum, she said the United States continues to have "significant" concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions.

But, she added, "I don't believe (military action against Iran) is on the table now."

Iran meanwhile began large-scale air defense war games aiming at protecting its nuclear facilities from attack, state TV reported, as an air force commander boasted the country could deter any .

It said the five-day drill covers an area a third of the size of Iran and spreads across the central, western and southern parts of the country.

The drill involves Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard, the paramilitary Basij forces affiliated with the Guard as well as army units.

We are sure they are not able to do anything against us since they cannot predict our reaction

Coomander of the Iranian Air Force Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh

Nuclear weapons

The United States and its European allies accuse Iran of embarking on a nuclear weapons program. Iran denies the charge and insists the program is only for peaceful purposes.

Israel has not ruled out military action to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

The commander of the Guard's air force, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, meanwhile sought on Sunday to play down the significance of Israel's threats against his country, saying they amounted to psychological warfare.

"We are sure they are not able to do anything against us since they cannot predict our reaction," Hajizadeh was quoted as saying by the Guard's official Web site.

"If their fighter planes could escape from Iran's air defense system, their bases will be hit by our devastating surface-to-surface missiles before they land," he said.

Also on Sunday, Iran's defense minister, Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, said Iran planned to pursue designing and producing its own air defense missiles, according to the official IRNA news agency.

His comments were apparently in response to the delay in the delivery from Russia of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, meant to be a key component of Iran's air defense.

Iran complains that the delay is apparently the result of Israeli and U.S. pressure.

Israel and the United States have opposed the missile deal out of fear Iran could use the system to significantly boost air defenses at its nuclear sites -- including its main uranium enrichment plant at Natanz.

If persuasion doesn't work, pressure is going to have to be the next line of action

Ellen Tauscher, U.S. Under Secretary for Arms Control