Manama: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today dismissed the prospect of war over his country's nuclear drive during a brief visit to key US ally Bahrain, whose ties with Tehran have often been strained. "We don't expect a new war in the region... And don't wish war to break out... But we have made all the preparations to face this eventuality (although) we don't expect (military conflict)," he told reporters.

Ahmadinejad said he was unaware of a recent statement by a top general in Iran's Revolutionary Guards, who warned his forces were ready "if necessary" to carry out suicide operations in the Gulf in response to any US strike. "I personally did not hear this statement," said Ahmadinejad, according to an Arabic translation of his remarks in Farsi, following talks with Bahrain s King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa.

He accused the United States, which suspects Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, of "contriving crises" in the region, saying Washington was "unhappy with the progress made in the Iranian nuclear file." Ahmadinejad left later for Saudi Arabia to attend a rare summit of the OPEC oil cartel.

Ties between Iran and Bahrain have on occasion been strained, most notably in July when an Iranian newspaper article claimed Bahrain belonged to Iran. Iran's foreign minister then flew to Manama to defuse the crisis. Tiny Sunni Muslim-ruled Bahrain has a Shiite majority, the same branch of Islam that dominates in Iran.

Source : PTI