Iran dismisses reports of U.S. military action

President Bush called the reports 'wild speculation.'
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran shrugged off reports that the United States is drawing backup plans for military action, saying Monday they were an attempt to scare it into halting its nuclear program and warning any attack would bring a "suitable response."
A top European Union official, meanwhile, rejected any use of force against Iran in the confrontation over its nuclear program.
But Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, recommended the 25-nation bloc consider sanctions against Tehran -- raising the possibility of international punishment even if the United States and Europe cannot persuade the United Nations to impose such measures.
The statements came as the chief of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, Mohammed ElBaradei, was due to visit Iran at midweek for talks on the standoff. Officials with his International Atomic Energy Agency have said he is hoping to win at least partial concessions from Iran. IAEA inspectors are currently in Iran visiting two key facilities.
Reports
Several American media reports over the weekend said the Bush administration was studying options for military strikes against Iran to stop its nuclear program. The New Yorker magazine raised the possibility of using atomic bombs against Iran's underground nuclear sites.
President Bush said Monday the reports were "wild speculation." He said his vow to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons "doesn't mean force necessarily. In this case it means diplomacy."
But the White House was not ruling out a military response and said "normal defense and intelligence planning" was under way.
In a speech Monday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad promised to announce "good nuclear news" in the next five days.
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