26 October 2004	Tuesday	11 Ramazan 1425

JERUSALEM, Oct 25: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon accused Iran on Monday of doing everything it could to obtain nuclear weapons, further ratcheting up the pressure on Tehran.

"Iran is making every effort to arm itself with nuclear weapons, with ballistic means of delivery, and it is preparing an enormous terrorist network with Syria and Lebanon," he told parliament, opening debate on his plan to withdraw from Gaza.

Mr Sharon, striving to blunt resistance to his plan from Israel's nationalist right, referred to Iran as he emphasized Israel faced various dangers and this was not time for disunity over his policies.

"We are powerful enough to defend this country and hit our enemy hard," he said amid heckling from rightist deputies.

Israel, believed to have the only nuclear arsenal in the Middle East, has recently increased pressure on Iran by saying it has obtained weapons that could target Tehran's underground uranium enrichment facilities.

Iran said last week it had test-fired a more accurate version of its Shahab-3 missile, the latest in a series of upgrades to the weapon thought capable of hitting Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf.

Iran does not recognize Israel's right to exist, but Insists its missiles are for defensive purposes and would be used only to counter an Israeli or U.S attack on its nuclear facilities.

Washington wants to haul Iran before the U.N. Security Council next month for possible sanctions after a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog. -Reuters