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Channel NewsAsiaWASHINGTON: The White House on Friday rejected any parallels between its Iran rhetoric and the run-up to the Iraq invasion, adding it had not ruled out the use of force, but was "very hopeful" of avoiding war.
Fresh sanctions on Tehran and escalating US warnings have fuelled comparisons to the weeks and months before the March 2003 invasion, but spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters: "I don't think there are any parallels to draw at all."
Asked whether the United States was on course for armed conflict with Iran over its suspect nuclear program and alleged interference in Iraq, Fratto replied: "I think we're very, very hopeful that it won't."
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His comments came as US President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have been sharply ramping up their rhetoric about Iran, leading some critics to draw parallels with the late 2002 verbal escalation against Iraq.
In recent months, Bush has predicted "nuclear holocaust" and "World War III" if Tehran gets atomic weapons, while Cheney has warned of "serious consequences" for Iran if it defies global demands to freeze sensitive nuclear work – echoing the UN resolution that Washington says authorized war in Iraq.
The United States unveiled new sanctions Thursday meant to punish the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions – Tehran denies US charges that it seeks nuclear weapons -- and alleged sponsorship of terrorism.
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World oil prices surged to historic highs, breaching 92 dollars for the first time in New York amid rising tension in crude-rich Iran and tightening US energy supplies.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said oil prices "are way too high" but denied that Washington was at fault, saying: "Look, the problem here isn't the United States, it's not the international community. The problem is Iran."
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