TEHRAN, Feb 4: Iran warned the United States on Monday that any attack against it would be an “irreparable mistake” and denied US claims it was harbouring Al Qaeda members.

Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi also dismissed President George W. Bush’s charge last week that Iran was developing weapons of mass destruction.

“I only hope the Americans will not make such a huge, irreparable mistake,” Asefi said while talking to reporters after being asked about the possibility of a US attack on Iran.

“It would be better if American leaders expressed themselves on the basis of real facts and not their imagination, and if they furnished some proof,” he said.

“The recent US accusations against Iran are inspired and dictated by the Zionist regime, which shows yet again that the Americans are not sincere when they say they want rapprochement with Iran.”

“We deny all reports about the presence of Al Qaeda members in Iran,” Asefi said. “As far as we are concerned, our borders are closed and we are blocking all illegal entry.”

Government spokesman Abdullah Ramazan-Zadeh was also quoted by the radio as describing Bush’s remarks as “fundamentalist and contrary to the ideals of civilization”, and comparing the US president to a “Roman gladiator”.

Asked about US allegations that Iran was developing weapons of mass destruction, Asefi said, “If you are talking about the Bushehr nuclear plant, it is supervised, monitored and visited by the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran is a signatory of all international conventions in this regard.”

Asefi also said Iran was opposed to threatened US strikes against Iraq, with which its relations are still poor after their bitter 1980-88 war.

Tehran opposed all attacks against an Islamic state, he added.

Asefi welcomed, however, the stance of the European Union and Russia, which had distanced themselves from the US sabre-rattling. “The world in general has not welcomed these American accusations against Iran,” he said.

Several newspapers also underlined Washington’s “isolation” on the issue.

Earlier Iran’s state news agency IRNA quoted former Revolutionary Guard chief Mohsen Rezai as also denying US claims that members of Al Qaeda were in Iran.

Iran’s naval chief said on Monday his forces were closely following the situation and would crush any action directed at the country’s national interests.

“The navy’s aircraft, ships and submarines are prepared to defend Iran’s territorial integrity and independence,” the state news agency IRNA quoted Admiral Abbas Mohtaj as saying.

Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani predicted that world oil prices would soar above 50 dollars a barrel if Iran were attacked.

He also said Washington knows that “a war against us would be extremely dangerous”.—AFP