Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, in an interview published Monday, said Tehran did not believe Israel or the United States would launch a military strike against Iran over its nuclear works. Asked in an interview with Newsweek magazine and The Washington Post if he believed there would an Israeli or US strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, Mottaki answered: "No."

Meanwhile, he welcomed the American decision last July to send one of the top State Department officials, William Burns, to attend negotiations with Iran in Europe, interpreting the step as a realistic move. "We welcomed the participation by Mr. Burns in the Geneva talks," Mottaki conveyed. "We feel that if this is the real approach taken by the US right now vis-a-vis the nuclear issue, they must continue with such efforts."

© 2008 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)