'Washington can't afford to launch war against Iran'

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UNITED NATIONS, OCT 4 (AP): Iran's foreign minister said the United States is not in a position to attack his country because Washington cannot afford another costly war in the region.
Manouchehr Mottaki accused President George W. Bush's administration of engaging in "psychological war" and raising the option of a military strike every six months over the last two years.
The "US is not in a position to impose another war in our region against their taxpayers," Mottaki said.
The US maintains that all options, including a military attack, remain possible.
But Mottaki said Iran warned the United States two years ago that it would retaliate if the US administration made a "mad decision" to attack. He refused to say what action Iran would take.
On the final day of the U.N. General Assembly's ministerial session, the Iranian minister told a news conference his country is trying to avoid any confrontations and wants a peaceful solution to concerns about its nuclear activities.
"We are not looking for (a) nuclear bomb. We do not need (a) nuclear bomb, and it is not in our military doctrine to have nuclear weapons," Mottaki said.
In a setback for the United States, Iran won a reprieve from new U.N. sanctions over its nuclear programme Friday. The Bush administration and its European allies ceded to Russian and Chinese demands in the Security Council to give Tehran until November to address questions from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, about its nuclear programme.