A senior Iranian official warned that military strikes against Iran's nuclear sites would not destroy the Islamic republic's uranium enrichment activities, which could be easily moved and restarted.

A major American attack on Iran's nuclear sites would kill up to 10,000 people and lead to war in the Middle East, a report says today. Hundreds of scientists and technicians would be targets in the opening salvos as the attacks focused on eliminating further nuclear development, the Oxford Research Group says in Iran: Consequences of a War.

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Military strategists at the Pentagon have been updating plans for "last-resort" military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The raids would be ordered if President George W Bush is advised that they are the only remaining option to prevent the Islamic republic from acquiring atomic weapons.

The authors investigate the possible implications of a U.S. pre-emptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The US has added EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) and ADW (Agent-Defeat Weapons) missiles to its arsenal to counter foes armed with chemical or biological weapons.

The authors argue that North Korea will continue to seek nuclear weapons regardless of any economic deal. They propose a strict embargo on all nuclear materials going into North Korea and greater U.S. pressure on Pakistan to stop selling nuclear technology.

The U.S. is researching and deploying several 'exotic weapons' such as high-powered microwave weapons and laser cannons to help the armed forces seize or neutralize the so-called weapons of mass destruction (WMD) with greater speed and security -- as well as with less damage to surrounding areas or people, and less danger of inadvertently spreading toxic materials.

The U.S. Defense Department is considering 15 new tools against weapons of mass destruction, including a portable sensor for detecting chemical and biological agents in seaports, a communications system for homeland defense responders and a new warhead for destroying biological and chemical weapon sites.