Gates says U.S. not looking for excuse for Iran war
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday that the United States was not looking for an excuse to attack Iran and backed off a U.S. official's recent comments implicating Tehran in arming Iraqi insurgents.
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RAWALPINDI, Pakistan  - Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in Pakistan for talks on how to defeat the Taliban, said on Monday the United States would not repeat the mistake of letting extremists take control of Afghanistan.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates declined to comment on Sunday about Friday's U.S. naval strike on targets in Somalia, saying it was possibly an ongoing operation.
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Robert Gates, President George W. Bush's choice to take over the Pentagon, said on Tuesday America was not winning in Iraq and warned that the Middle East could explode into violence.
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Robert Gates, nominated to replace Donald Rumsfeld as U.S. defense secretary, on Tuesday said he did not believe America was winning the war in Iraq and that he would consider all options for changing course.
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates used a surprise visit to Iraq on Friday to express support for the top U.S. commander here, denying that the military is painting an overly optimistic picture of how the war is going.
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that Iran would not launch an attack on Israel or any other country, and he does not believe the U.S. is preparing for war against Iran.
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Iran released a video on Thursday which it said showed its boats did not threaten U.S. navy vessels in the Gulf, countering Washington's account of the event which President George W. Bush called "a provocative act".
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Iran said Saturday the United States was not in a position to take military action against it and urged Washington and its allies to engage in dialogue.
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President Bush said on Monday he  would not rule out military action against Iran if that country  was not more forthcoming about its suspected nuclear weapons  program.
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An attack on Iran over its nuclear program is "not on the agenda at this point," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday on her first foreign trip since assuming her new cabinet position.
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The US secretary of state says the US has no immediate plans to strike Iran, stressing diplomatic options remain.
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President Bush said on Monday he would not rule out military action against Iran if that country was not more forthcoming about its suspected nuclear weapons program.
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said a U.S. attack on Iran "is simply not on the agenda," despite the United States' continued criticism of Iran's human rights record and suspected nuclear weapons ambitions.
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President George W. Bush on Wednesday backed away from a U.S. claim that Iran's leaders directed an effort to give bomb devices to Iraqi militants and said he was not using the charges as a pretext for a war with Iran.
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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates denied today that the United States is planning for war with Iran, saying that U.S. military efforts are focused on countering alleged Iranian activities against American troops in Iraq.
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday a military attack on Iran was not currently on the agenda and played down differences with Europe in policy toward Tehran.