WASHINGTON, April 18 (UPI) -- President Bush refused Tuesday to rule out a nuclear strike on Iran, saying he is pursuing a diplomatic solution but "all options are on the table."
"The best way to do so is, therefore, to be a united effort with countries who recognize the danger of Iran having a nuclear weapon. And that's why we're working very closely with countries like France and Germany and Great Britain," Bush told reporters in a brief question and answer session after introducing his new budget director.
An article by Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker magazine quoted sources in the administration who said that contingency planning for Iran included a possible nuclear strike on the country's major nuclear installation. A number of U.S. allies, notably British Prime Minister Tony Blair, have sent signals that they would not join any military strike.
Bush said that Iran's nuclear ambitions would be a topic in discussions with Chinese President Hu Jintao when the two leaders meet Thursday.
