Iraq is taking seriously threats by the United States to topple the government of President Saddam Hussein, an Iraqi newspaper reported today.
"We are not scorning these threats, rather we are taking them seriously," the official al-Iraq newspaper said in a front-page editorial.
In the past few days, Iraqi officials and media have played down a Washington Post report which said US President Mr Bush had signed an order earlier this year allowing the CIA to conduct covert operations to oust Saddam, broadening an earlier directive.
The covert programme included authorisation to use lethal force to capture Saddam, the Post said, citing informed sources. "We have experienced wicked American schemes against us and our ability to resist them has increased," al-Iraq said. "We know that the next American aggression won't be less than what we had seen before," it said, referring to the US-led Gulf War, which ejected Iraqi troops from Kuwait.
On Monday Iraq's Foreign Minister Mr Naji Sabri played down the Washington Post's report, saying it was not a new policy. US Vice President Mr Cheney said on Thursday Saddam was a "gathering danger" to the United States.
Bush has branded Iraq part of an "axis of evil", along with Iran and North Korea, for backing international terrorism and trying to make chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.