WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Tuesday that the arrests of suspected al Qaeda members in Iran fell short of meeting U.S. demands for a crackdown.
The U.S. reaction came as the Bush administration put off a senior-level meeting on Iran policy and Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) said contacts with Iran would continue, despite a push that other sources attribute to the Pentagon (news - web sites) for a suspension of all contact.
"Our policies are well-known and I'm not aware of any changes in policy (on Iran). We have contacts with them. They will continue," Powell told reporters.
U.S. officials said they have intelligence suggesting senior al Qaeda members hiding in Iran had prior knowledge of the May 12 suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia which killed 34 people, including eight Americans. The United States blames al Qaeda for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America.
Iran told Washington to stay out of what it said were internal affairs.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) said the arrests of several suspected al Qaeda members announced by Iran on Monday did not quell concerns about the presence of members of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s network.
"We continue to have concerns about al Qaeda being in Iran," Fleischer said. Iran's foreign ministry said it did not know whether those under arrest were senior al Qaeda members.
Asked how Iran had responded to U.S. concerns including al Qaeda, Fleischer said "insufficiently." He said Iran has also failed to satisfy U.S. concerns it is developing nuclear weapons, a charge denied by Iran.
An exiled Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said on Sunday it had fresh evidence that Tehran was developing nuclear weapons at secret sites.
'REFRAIN FROM INTERFERENCE'
Iran hopes the United States will "refrain from carrying out any interference in our affairs," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said. He said Iran would defend its interests "with full power."
A meeting of senior administration officials to consider new ways to pressure Iran, which officials said had been scheduled to take place on Tuesday, would not happen, Fleischer said. "There is no meeting today," he said.
One source familiar with the issue said there would be a higher-level "principals" meeting on Iran on Thursday. Another source confirmed an administration meeting on Thursday but was not sure at what level.
Flynt Leverett, a former National Security Council official now with the Saban Center on Middle East Policy, said the Pentagon wants a harder line on Iran, including cutting off all contacts and overthrow the Iranian government.
The State Department is wary of a get-tough approach, but it lacks a viable alternative, he said.
Existing U.S. relations with Iranian moderates, mostly within the foreign ministry, are incapable of dealing with the current issues of al Qaeda and Iran's nuclear program, Leverett said. "You've reached a point in the policy where the status quo won't satisfy," he said.
Said a U.S. official, "What we will be doing is looking at what our options are to try to get the Iranians to cooperate on al Qaeda in ways that they have in the past. If there's an indication that we can't expect that kind of cooperation again, then we'll be looking at other options."
U.S. officials met several times with Iranian officials in Geneva this year but the United States called off a meeting scheduled for last Wednesday because it believed Iran was sheltering members of al Qaeda.
It was not clear from Powell's comments on contacts with Iran whether he was referring to bilateral meetings or indirect contacts through third parties such as Switzerland.
The U.S. reaction came as the Bush administration put off a senior-level meeting on Iran policy and Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) said contacts with Iran would continue, despite a push that other sources attribute to the Pentagon (news - web sites) for a suspension of all contact.
"Our policies are well-known and I'm not aware of any changes in policy (on Iran). We have contacts with them. They will continue," Powell told reporters.
U.S. officials said they have intelligence suggesting senior al Qaeda members hiding in Iran had prior knowledge of the May 12 suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia which killed 34 people, including eight Americans. The United States blames al Qaeda for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America.
Iran told Washington to stay out of what it said were internal affairs.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) said the arrests of several suspected al Qaeda members announced by Iran on Monday did not quell concerns about the presence of members of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s network.
"We continue to have concerns about al Qaeda being in Iran," Fleischer said. Iran's foreign ministry said it did not know whether those under arrest were senior al Qaeda members.
Asked how Iran had responded to U.S. concerns including al Qaeda, Fleischer said "insufficiently." He said Iran has also failed to satisfy U.S. concerns it is developing nuclear weapons, a charge denied by Iran.
An exiled Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said on Sunday it had fresh evidence that Tehran was developing nuclear weapons at secret sites.
'REFRAIN FROM INTERFERENCE'
Iran hopes the United States will "refrain from carrying out any interference in our affairs," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said. He said Iran would defend its interests "with full power."
A meeting of senior administration officials to consider new ways to pressure Iran, which officials said had been scheduled to take place on Tuesday, would not happen, Fleischer said. "There is no meeting today," he said.
One source familiar with the issue said there would be a higher-level "principals" meeting on Iran on Thursday. Another source confirmed an administration meeting on Thursday but was not sure at what level.
Flynt Leverett, a former National Security Council official now with the Saban Center on Middle East Policy, said the Pentagon wants a harder line on Iran, including cutting off all contacts and overthrow the Iranian government.
The State Department is wary of a get-tough approach, but it lacks a viable alternative, he said.
Existing U.S. relations with Iranian moderates, mostly within the foreign ministry, are incapable of dealing with the current issues of al Qaeda and Iran's nuclear program, Leverett said. "You've reached a point in the policy where the status quo won't satisfy," he said.
Said a U.S. official, "What we will be doing is looking at what our options are to try to get the Iranians to cooperate on al Qaeda in ways that they have in the past. If there's an indication that we can't expect that kind of cooperation again, then we'll be looking at other options."
U.S. officials met several times with Iranian officials in Geneva this year but the United States called off a meeting scheduled for last Wednesday because it believed Iran was sheltering members of al Qaeda.
It was not clear from Powell's comments on contacts with Iran whether he was referring to bilateral meetings or indirect contacts through third parties such as Switzerland.
