British Prime Minister Tony Blair branded Iran a "state sponsor of terrorism", and urged the Islamic republic to meet EU demands to renounce its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons.
"It certainly does sponsor terrorism. There's no doubt about that at all," Blair told a parliamentary committee, agreeing with US President George W. Bush's view of Iran as a top "sponsor of terrorism".
"I hope very much that if we can make progress in the Middle East, that Iran realises that it's got an obligation to help that, not hinder it," he said.
Blair said it was a "good sign" that the United States and Europe were "working together" to convince Iran to abandon its feared pursuit of nuclear weapons.
It was also a "good sign" that France and Germany - which opposed the US and British invasion of Iraq - were, together with Britain, striving to reach a diplomatic solution with Tehran.
"Iran has now been given a set of obligation that it's got to fulfill," he added. "I hope they fulfill it."
Meanwhile, Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Tuesday that Tehran wanted to resolve decades of differences with the United States and warned that a U.S. military strike wouldn't destroy all of Iran's nuclear facilities.
US President Bush last week accused Iran of being "the world's primary state sponsor of terror."
"We are not seeking tension with the United States," negotiator Hasan Rowhani told the state-run television. "We are seeking to resolve our problems with America but it's the Americans who don't want problems be resolved."
"There is no problem in today's world that can't be resolved," said Rowhani, who is secretary of Iran's powerful Supreme National Security Council.
However, Rowhani said that a U.S. military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities would fail. "Iran's nuclear technology is in the hands of its scientists and workshops throughout the country. All of them have the ability to produce centrifuges. Therefore, America will not be able to destroy our nuclear facilities and mines through a military strike," he said.
