White House refuses to rule out military option on Iran

          The White House on Tuesday would not rule out any options, including the military option, for dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said: "I wouldn't rule out anything." He said Iran's rejection of every attempt by the Obama administration for diplomatic engagement is proof that its nuclear program is "not of the means and type that they have tried to convince others that's it's for." Israel also continues to avoid ruling out a strike on Iran. Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Ganbriella Shalev, said in Washington on Tuesday: "It's one of the bad options ? we don't think it's as bad as Iran having nuclear weapon. It's one of the options and all the options are on the table." She added: "For us it?s an existential threat. Iran is training and equipping Hizballah and Hamas. They are not even smuggling weapons ? they are transferring them." Gibbs' statement comes after the U.S., Russia and France sent a joint warning to the United Nations that Iran was escalating its standoff with the international community over uranium enrichment. The three powers' letter to the UN nuclear watchdog was a response to Iran's launch last week of higher-grade enrichment - raising suspicions of a quest for atomic bomb capability - on grounds that world powers were imposing unpalatable terms for the deal. "(This) is wholly unjustified ... If Iran goes forward with this escalation, it would raise new concerns about Iran's nuclear intentions," the letter said. It said the plan for Iran to swap enriched uranium for nuclear medicine fuel had legal assurances it would be fulfilled, contrary to Iran's assertions. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that any country which tried to impose new sanctions on Iran would regret its actions, adding talks were still going on over a proposed nuclear fuel swap. He was speaking a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a Gulf tour sought backing from oil giant Saudi Arabia to help win Chinese support for additional sanctions. "Of course, if somebody acts against Iran our response will definitely be firm enough ... [to] make them regretful," Ahmadinejad told a televised news conference, without elaborating. "Sanctions will not harm Iran," he said. Russia urged Iran earlier Tuesday to allay growing international fears over its contentious nuclear program and declared that while the West should be cautious over imposing harsh sanctions, such measures could not be excluded. The Kremlin's remarks came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Moscow to shore up Russian support for new steps against Iran. For his part, Netanyahu on Tuesday called for "paralyzing sanctions" against Iran's energy sector, Interfax news agency reported. Russia has generally resisted calls for increased sanctions, but officials are showing rising frustration with Iran's resistance to cooperation with the international community over its nuclear program. "The position of Russia regarding sanctions remains unchanged, said a spokewoman for Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. "[But] if Iran remains uncooperative, no one can exclude the use of sanctions." Netanyahu told his Greek counterpart George Papandreou in an impromptu meeting in Moscow on Monday evening that if Iran managed to develop nuclear weapons, the rest of the Muslim world would follow suit. According to an official traveling with the prime minister, Netanyahu told Papandreou that he was concerned Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia would soon begin their own attempts to develop a nuclear weapon should Iran accomplish its own goal. Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that talks were still under way over the West's proposal for a nuclear fuel swap and the issue was "not yet closed." "There are some talks under way over the nuclear fuel swap," he told a televised news conference, without giving details. "The case is not yet closed ... we have already announced that we are ready for a fuel exchange within a fair framework." He added: "We are still ready for an exchange, even with America." Ahmadinejad's order last week to start production of higher-grade uranium, rather than agree to the UN-brokered fuel swap proposal, exposes Tehran to new calls for UN sanctions from Western powers. "We didn't have any plan to produce it internally because it was a low amount of fuel and it was not economical," Ahmadinejad said. "But ... we found that there is no goodwill in this regard and we told them that if they don't provide us [with the fuel] in due time we would start work inside [Iran]." "And even now, if they provide us with the necessary fuel the conditions will be changed," Ahmadinejad said. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said earlier Tuesday, after meeting his Turkish counterpart that Tehran was prepared to consider any new ideas on a proposed nuclear fuel swap with major powers. Washington and its allies fear Iran wants to acquire nuclear weapons, and are lobbying for new United Nations sanctions, but Tehran says its aims are purely peaceful. Mottaki described the talks with Davutoglu as consultations, rather than any mediation between Tehran and the world powers involved in efforts to resolve the nuclear row diplomatically. "We have informed our Turkish friends about the latest developments on Iran's peaceful nuclear case," Mottaki told a joint news conference with Davutoglu. Ahmadinejad's order last week to start production of higher-grade uranium, rather than agree to the UN-brokered fuel swap proposal, exposes Tehran to new calls for UN sanctions from Western powers. Mottaki, echoing comments by Iran's nuclear agency chief on Monday, said the United States, France and Russia had submitted a new letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA]. The letter contained a new proposal, Mottaki said. "While we are continuing our [nuclear] activities we will consider any new idea or proposal, either given directly or indirectly via the agency [IAEA]," he said, giving no details. The United States denied on Monday that it had made new proposals along with France and Russia on the nuclear fuel swap, and said "the door remains open" for Tehran to accept the proposal offered in October. (22,09)