Washington, May 27: The Bush administration today rejected Iranian denials that it was developing nuclear weapons or harbouring al-Qaida fugitives. But a top Senate Democrat cautioned the White House to tone down its rhetoric. "I don't think we should be biting off more than we can chew right now," said Senator Joseph Biden, the senior Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the administration believes al-Qaida leaders are being sheltered in Iran.
He also scoffed at Tehran's assertions that its nuclear programme is exclusively designed for peaceful power-generating purposes.
"We continue to have concerns that a nation that is awash in gas and oil would seek to produce peaceful nuclear energy," he said.
Fleischer alleged that Iran "flares off," that is burns as a waste product, more natural gas than the electrical energy it would produce from nuclear reactors.
The escalation of tensions comes amid a burgeoning debate within the administration about what policy the United States should adopt toward a government with which Washington has had no diplomatic relations for nearly 25 years.
Biden said the White House should take a go-slow approach on Iran and first finish its military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bureau Report