TEHRAN, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said Wednesday a U.S. attack on his country would be detrimental to the region and the world.
"I hope they (Americans) will not commit such an evil thing (an attack on Iran) as this would not only jeopardize their own interests, but would ultimately affect the security of the entire region," he said during a news conference.
While calling the American administration "extremist and war mongering," he said Iran would not give its enemies a pretext for an attack.
"If attacked, the Iranian people and government stand ready to defend Iran's independence, integrity and interests to the last," Khatami said.
He also spoke out against a U.S. attack on Iraq, saying "rogue states" do not justify a military invasion.
"We have incurred the highest losses from Iraq compared with other nations, but we believe that interference in the affairs of other countries and resorting to force and bullying are more dangerous than the rogue states," he said.
The eight-year Iran-Iraq war ended in 1988 without a peace treaty. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, then a U.S. ally, used Scud missiles and poison gas against Iran, killing 250,000 people.
Iran fears an attack against Shiite-dominated Iraq because it fears its own Shiite majority could be made unstable.
Washington has described Iran, along with Iraq and North Korea, as part of an "axis of evil." President Bush's administration has also accused Iran of harboring al Qaida fighters fleeing Afghanistan.
Iran recently said it had expatriated tens of infiltrated members of the group to their original countries.
Political observers say Iran's motives in a likely hosting of al Qaida may stem not from any sympathy for the group but from tensions between reformers and conservatives within the Islamic establishment.
