Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani said on Wednesday that Arab states in the Gulf should not allow the United States to launch attacks on the Islamic republic from bases in the region.

"States in the region which house US military bases should know that these bases must not be used against Iran. The region should not become a launchpad for aggression against Iran," Larijani told a news conference in Kuwait.

Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, all members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, are home to major US military bases. Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.

Larijani, however, assured Gulf neighbours that Iran "does not want to inflict any harm on the GCC states," and charged that the United States was scaring the Gulf from Iran to promote its presence in the region.

"I believe that for the sake of having new military bases in the region... and control over its resources, the Americans and Zionists are trying to scare the region from Iran," he said.

"We feel that certain regional groups in addition to America and the Zionists are trying to create disputes between Iran and the states in the region. We will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries," he said.

Larijani is concluding a three-day official visit to Kuwait during which he met with the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, and other leaders.

He said he discussed with Kuwaiti officials the security situation in the region, where he "America is stirring up wars and setting fires."

Kuwait has repeatedly said it opposed any military action against Iran, but has also urged Tehran to respect the resolutions of the international community.

Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said last week that Western warships stationed in the Gulf are "best targets" for the Islamic republic if its nuclear sites are attacked, Fars news agency reported.

Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to deliver a "crushing response" and hit US targets, including its bases in the Gulf and neighbouring Iraq and Afghanistan, if Iran's nuclear sites are attacked.

Larijani also said Washington and Israel will not "dare launch an aggression on Iran," over its nuclear programme.

"Israel will not dare attack Iran because it knows that if it carries out such an action, Iranian missiles will burn its lands," Larijani said.

The United States and its regional ally Israel, which accuse Iran of seeking atomic weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear programme, have never ruled out a military option to thwart Tehran's nuclear drive.

Iran denies the charges and has continued to expand its nuclear programme despite UN sanctions.

Larijani said Tehran is proud of helping the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas which fought wars against Israel in 2006 and 2008, respectively.

The Iranian official said that US President Barack Obama has "failed in his policy on the Palestinian cause as the (Israeli) siege on Gaza and the construction of Jewish settlements are continuing."

related report
US Senators press Obama to impose Iran sanctions
President Barack Obama must act now to impose tough new unilateral sanctions on Iran, US senators said in a letter Wednesday that condemned China's role in the nuclear standoff with Tehran.

"It is imperative to put into action your pledge of increased, meaningful pressure against the Iranian regime," they said in a letter to Obama that called for "crippling sanctions" against Tehran "as early as this month."

Democratic Senators Evan Bayh, Bob Casey, Chuck Schumer, and Ben Cardin; Republican Senators Jon Kyl, John McCain, Johnny Isakson, and David Vitter; as well as Independent Senator Joe Lieberman signed the letter, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

The message came as the US Senate was expected to act in the next few weeks on legislation targeting Iran with a crackdown on its gasoline imports, a unilateral step fed in part by resistance from China to new UN sanctions.

China's approach "calls into question whether it is interested in being a responsible stakeholder in the international system and does significant damage to its relationship with the United States," they said.

"We fear that Beijing's pursuit of its narrow commercial self-interest in Iran is jeopardizing the chances of reaching a diplomatic solution in the nuclear stand-off and greatly increases the risk of developments that could profoundly destabilize the Persian Gulf and global energy markets," they said.

The nine lawmakers said 2010 would be "the pivotal year" in the standoff and urged the US president "to do everything that is necessary to stop Iran's acquisition of a nuclear weapons capability in the critical months ahead."

"We abhor the possibility that military action may be necessary to solve this problem. But we have no doubt that a nuclear-armed Iran will be catastrophic for our national security," they wrote.

The lawmakers also supported Obama's plan to seek a fifth round of UN sanctions on Iran, which denies Western charges that it seek an atomic arsenal under cover of a civilian nuclear program, but warned China's "likely resistance to meaningful sanctions" could doom the effort.

The lawmakers also urged Obama to "increase American support for the human rights and peaceful aspirations of the Iranian people."