Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned that Iran would retaliate with severity to any U.S. military attack.
The Iranian leader spoke Monday during a news conference in Abu Dhabi at the end of his trip to the United Arab Emirates. It is the first visit by an Iranian head of state to the close U.S. Gulf ally.
Friday, during a visit to the UAE, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said the U.S. and its allies will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. Washington has said it has no intention of taking military action against Iran over its nuclear program.
Meanwhile, the State Department says it expects U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker to meet with Iranian diplomats in the coming weeks to discuss stabilizing Iraq.
Deputy spokesman Tom Casey says the discussions will be a test of Iran's stated interest in helping achieve peace in Iraq. The two sides announced plans for the talks Sunday.
Iran and the U.S. do not have diplomatic relations. But the Bush administration has said since 2005 that it would hold talks, limited to the subject of Iraq, through the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad.
The U.S. accuses Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies.
