Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s announcement Wednesday that Iran had 3,000 working centrifuges raised fears in Washington that Israel would respond to the statement with a preemptive military strike, the Times reported Thursday. 

Iran is ready to promote economic cooperation with Asian states, particularly in energy field, first Deputy Foreign Minister Ali-Reza Sheikh Attar said on Thursday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mohammad-Ali Hosseini condemned as an “unprincipled” act a recent decision by the Interpol on refusing to drop charges against a number of Iranians for their alleged involvement in a 1994 bombing in Argentina.