US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, who is in London on the first leg of a European tour, held talks with Tony Blair and the Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in which they discussed a wide range of international issues, including Iran.
At her meeting with Blair, Rice insisted that attacking Iran was not on the US agenda "at this point in time", indicating no immediate plans of action.
However, this remark sounds quite contrary to what she had to say in a BBC interview to be broadcasted on Sunday's Breakfast with Frost programme.
In this interview she describes Iran as the key supporter of the so-called Palestinian "rejectionist groups" and the Hezbollah movement, which she believes are "one of the most important barriers" to Middle East peace.
Commenting on Iran, she also adds that "Iran is a destabilising force in the international system".
It seems that the Iran issue and particularly its civilian nuclear programme is going to be at the top of Ms Rice's agenda during her first overseas tour of Europe and the Middle East.
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