Aide: Cheney Discussed with Sultan Qaboos Iran's Rising Influence in Lebanon

by **Admin** Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:06 am

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney discussed in Oman Iran's rising influence in Lebanon, a senior aide said Thursday, adding that Cheney's trip to the Middle East was not aimed at preparing a military strike on the Islamic Republic.

Cheney and Sultan Qaboos discussed how "through Hizbullah, Iran has been allowed to become the dominant power in Lebanon," the aide told reporters.

"That's not what these discussions are about," the aide said about reports that Cheney's nine-day trip to the Middle East and Turkey aimed to set the stage for a U.S. military strike on Iran.

The aide said the talks in Oman before Cheney's trip to Afghanistan on Thursday focused extensively on Iran, which has defied international criticism of its nuclear program.

"The vice president talked about the concerns we have about the full range of their activities," said the official, underlining what the United States sees as "an increase in the Iranian relationship with Hamas."