Washington, May 28: US President George W Bush, who used force to bring about regime change in Afghanistan and Iraq, has said Washington's policy towards Iran too seeks regime change, but officials say he has not resolved how aggressively to pursue that, except to play down the option of using military force, a media report said here. Unless Iranian authorities take more steps against Al Qaeda in coming days, says The Wall Street Journal, Tehran's stance is likely to bolster hard-liners in the Bush administration -- who have been arguing for months that the US adopt a more confrontational stance towards Iran. "US hard-liners are arguing for steps aimed at destabilising the Iranian regime from within," the paper said. "The US", said the paper, "is particularly interested in the whereabouts of Saef al-Adel, an Egyptian militant linked to Al Qaeda who US officials say, is believed to have been in Iran recently. U.S. Officials claim they have intercepted telephone conversations believed to involve Adel or his associates from inside Iran discussing the May 12 car bombings in Riyadh in which 34 people, including eight Americans, were killed.

Iranian officials said they had no information about Adel. Even within the Bush administration, the paper says, a number of questions surround the recent intelligence, including whether overheard conversations involved individuals planning the attacks or just discussing them afterwards.

Some US officials say that while Al Qaeda members appear to be in Iran, there is no evidence contradicting the Iranian government's claim that it is not assisting the group.

Bureau Report