WASHINGTON, Nov 15: The United States or other countries will one day be forced to consider pre-emptive action if Iran and North Korea continue to seek nuclear weapons, a senior US government official said on Tuesday.

If North Korea refused to renounce its nuclear programme and Iran developed a nuclear weapons capability, it would lead other countries in their regions to seek nuclear weapons, said the US official, speaking on condition he was not identified.

“We, the United States, and others who might be threatened by these developments will have to look at how to respond and inevitably I think people will have to look at the question of pre-emption,” the official told reporters.

“I think it's inevitable that any American administration, not just this administration but future administrations, will have to look at pre-emptive strategies,” he said.

He was not saying that the United States was going to launch a pre-emptive strike “tomorrow”, he said.

He said there could be uncertainty, for example, over whether a missile in the hands of one of the countries had a nuclear warhead attached.

“Under those circumstances some people might be inclined to pre-emption, and not just the United States. Others who might feel threatened in the region might feel more inclined to pre-emption as a defence,” he said.

“It's a challenge for the international community.” He urged the world to think hard about the cost of allowing Iran to “continue to move down the road it's been on”.

ISRAELI ENVOY: US President George W. Bush will not hesitate to use military force against Iran if other options fail, Israel's outgoing ambassador to the United States said in an interview published on Wednesday.