IRAN - Jan. 10 - Bush Warns.

US Pres. Bush says at the White House: "Iran must be a contributor in the war against terror. Our nation, in our fight against terrorism, will uphold the doctrine of either you're with us or against us". He warns Tehran must not try to undermine the new interim government of Afghanistan, or it will face consequences. Bush notes that Tehran gave the US "positive signals" of co-operation early in the US-led military campaign in Afghanistan. He also says Tehran must not "allow Al Qaida murderers to hide in their country" and must surrender any who have slipped across the Afghan border into Iran. He says of the Iranians: "If they in any way, shape or form try to destabilise the government, the coalition will deal with them, you know, in diplomatic ways, initially". The same day Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi tells Reuters: "Our borders are tightly closed, and the Islamic Republic of Iran in no circumstances would let Al Qaida members, fighters and supporters of Bin Laden enter the country". He also says Tehran is not trying to interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs or influence Kabul to set up an Islamic system of government, adding: "Afghan people should decide their own future".

(But Pentagon officials say Tehran, which opposed the Taliban and viewed Al Qaida with caution, is giving safe haven to small numbers of Al Qaida fighters fleeing Afghanistan, with the view that Al Qaida would fight to weaken Western influence. Pentagon officials say Tehran has grown increasingly concerned about the pro-Western tilt of Afghanistan's government and is moving to flex its muscle in a part of Afghanistan where it has long held sway. A US military official said: "Iran is trying to make sure that Afghanistan remains an Islamic state and does not become more secular, like Turkey". US special forces around Herat, in north-western Afghanistan, reported that Iranian agents are infiltrating the area, threatening some tribal leaders and bribing other local leaders to undermine US-backed programmes. A senior military official said: "Iran is trying to stir up mischief. So far, we haven't taken any action, but we're keeping a very close eye on it". Afghanistan's interim government includes a son of a powerful warlord, Ismail Khan, who was Iran's closest ally in the Northern Alliance, which helped topple the Taliban. Growing signs of co-operation between Washington and Tehran emerged in recent months. US State Secretary Powell said Tehran was generally helpful in the war in Afghanistan. Tehran secretly agreed in Oct. 2001 to rescue any US troops in distress in its territory. Many refugees fled to Iran from Afghanistan, and Tehran provided a port for shipping US wheat into the war zone. Richard Haass, US State Department's director of policy planning, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in December: "By and large, the Iranian role diplomatically has been quite constructive". Iran sent observers to the talks in Bonn on forming the coalition government, and its diplomats played a key role behind the scenes, Haas said. But he cautioned: "I'm not saying we see everything eye to eye here".

Tehran is also seeking a leading role in the rebuilding of Afghanistan. A UN-sponsored conference this week in Tehran brought together Afghan business leaders, entrepreneurs and academics to discuss recovery efforts in health, education and community development. Tens of thousands of refugees returned to the Herat area, with hundreds of families arriving every day, according to the UN, and more than 100,000 remain in a huge camp near the border. Some experts, while condemning any action by Tehran that could undermine the interim government in Kabul, offered another explanation for Iran's behaviour. Prof. Barnett Rubin, an Afghanistan specialist at New York University, said: "I'm sure Iran would be concerned about a United States military presence on its border. I wouldn't necessarily say theirs is an aggressive terrorist position. It's quite a reasonable security concern". A State Department official said: "From the Iranian point of view, they're probably feeling pretty threatened in Afghanistan right now. There are some things we're working in parallel with the Iranians, and some things they're going at in a different direction. We don't have identical goals in Afghanistan").