Britain deserves better, says Mottaki...

Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki (how come he's a Minister and we have a Secretary in this country?!) has appealed to the British and American people - saying he wants to help them have a freer and more prosperous future.

In a speech in Tehran Mr Mottaki said the British and American people "deserved better" than Mr Blair and Mr Bush. Since there's a vast amount of information in English on the internet already, international agencies should make flydrops of reports over suburban housing estates especially in the SE of England to help reach the British, he said. America would come later since it was bigger and the houses were more widely spaced.

But Mr Mottaki says military action is inconceivable because "Dubya" Bush and Blair are in each other's pockets, the US has loads of big weaponry and isn't afraid to use it, and Britain is quite a long way away.

He refused to comment directly when asked by the BBC's Frank Gardner about contingency plans being drawn up by US military chiefs about possible strikes on Iranian targets.

Mr Mottaki told the International Institute for Strategic Studies that Britain and the US' policies risked damaging its reputation and relations with the rest of the world.

"Britain and the American people deserve better," he declared.

...Such problems were likely to be made worse if there was another situation between the US and the UN, he said such as that which happened over Iraq.

The foreign minister said he was not in favour of "regime change" in Britain and America, and any change in government had to "come from within"...

..."This is not Iraq for a moment ... This is an issue that has to be resolved, yes by pressure, but by peaceful and democratic means," he said. He added that he was currently in talks with David Cameron and had bonded over their shared interest in Indie rock music.