Last update - 00:00 15/01/2008
Bush warns Iran: New provocations will have serious consequences
By News agencies
U.S. President George W. Bush, in a stern warning to Iran days after a Jan. 6 confrontation with U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, put Tehran on notice that any further naval incidents would have "serious consequences."
The president said it would not matter to him whether an attack against an American vessel resulted from an order by the government in Iran or a rash decision by an Iranian boat captain.
"It's not going to matter to me one way or another," Bush said. "If the Iranians hit a U.S. ship, there are going to be serious consequences," he said.
"If they hit our ships, we will hold Iran responsible," Bush told a small
group of journalists. "They'd better be careful and not be provocative."
The president spoke before meeting late Tuesday with Saudi King Abdullah, whose country holds the world's largest supply of oil. Bush said U.S. consumers are feeling the pain of rising oil prices, which topped US$100 a barrel this month.
Bush urged OPEC nations on Tuesday to put more oil on the world market and warned that soaring prices could cause an economic slowdown in the United States.
High energy prices can damage consuming economies, the president told a small group of reporters traveling with him in the Mideast.
U.S. officials claim Iranian speedboats swarmed three Navy warships in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that is the only entry and exit to the Persian Gulf. They said U.S. Navy commanders were considering firing warning shots, before the retreat of the five Iranian speedboats, which the Pentagon said were operated by the elite Revolutionary Guards.
Iran has denied that its boats threatened the U.S. vessels, saying the incident was a normal occurrence, and accused Washington of fabricating video and audio it released. Iran's government has released its own video, which appeared to be shot from a small boat bobbing at least 100 yards from the American warships.