OIran will notice Persian Gulf naval exercise next week, U.S. says

By: BARRY SCHWEID - Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- The United States and five other countries will intercept a British vessel in the Persian Gulf on Monday in a mock interception of dangerous weapons technology, an exercise the U.S. expects nearby Iran to notice.

For the first time, an Arab nation, Bahrain, will participate in an exercise under the 3-year-old proliferation security initiative. That U.S. program is aimed at getting countries to cooperate in halting shipments of materials that can be used for advanced weapons.

France, Italy, Britain and Australia will also participate in Monday's exercise, the 25th held under the initiative and the first held in the Persian Gulf area.

 
The practice interception comes at a time when the U.S. is seeking support for U.N. sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program. On Friday, Iran stepped up its uranium enrichment program, according to a semiofficial news agency.

"From Iranian news reports we know the exercise got the attention of Iran," Robert Joseph, the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said Friday.

The exercise also comes as the U.S. is urging northeast Asian countries to strictly enforce U.N. sanctions against North Korea, which detonated a nuclear device Oct. 9. Those sanctions ban Pyongyang's weapons trade and call for North Korean ships to be searched for suspected illegal materials.

The Bush administration and the several dozen countries that support the proliferation initiative say stopping ships suspected of carrying illicit traffic is legal internationally. But there is some uncertainty about whether the cargo can be seized.

In any event, conducting an exercise within range of Iran could be taken by Tehran as a demonstration of international resolve to curb its nuclear programs.

Bahrain will provide a frigate for the exercise, while Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, three other Arab countries, also will offer a measure of support, acting as observers. Others include Russia, Japan and South Korea. Saudi Arabia, the largest of the Gulf countries, has not joined them.