Briefly

Iran's leaders confident U.S. won't attack

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's leadership boasts it is safe from U.S. military action, saying Washington knows an attack would find no world support and send oil prices skyrocketing. That confidence is buoying the government in its standoff with the West, despite new sanctions. Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, on Friday dismissed the U.S. announcement a day earlier of new sanctions, saying "Washington will isolate itself" with the measures. "They have imposed sanctions on us for 28 years. The new sanctions are just in the same direction." President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is apparently confident Washington's sanctions and threat of military action are ineffective.

Putin repeats opposition to U.S. missiles in Europe

MAFRA, Portugal -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday evoked one of the most dangerous confrontations of the Cold War to highlight Russian opposition to a proposed U.S. missile defense system in Europe, comparing it to the Cuban missile crisis of 45 years ago. The comments were the latest in a series of belligerent statements from the assertive Putin. Putin used a news conference to reiterate Russia's stalwart opposition to U.S. plans to put elements of a missile defense system in the former Soviet bloc countries of Poland and the Czech Republic -- both of which are now NATO members. "Analogous actions by the Soviet Union, when it deployed missiles in Cuba, prompted the 'Caribbean crisis,"' Putin said, using the Russian term for the Cuban missile crisis.

Turkey to delay deciding on offensive in Iraq

ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey will wait until the prime minister visits Washington in November before deciding on a cross-border offensive into northern Iraq, the country's top military commander said Friday. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets President Bush in Washington on Nov. 5. "The armed forces will carry out a cross-border offensive when assigned," private NTV quoted Gen. Yasar Buyukanit as saying. "Prime Minister Erdogan's visit to the United States is very important, we will wait for his return." Amid talks with a visiting Iraqi delegation, Turkish war planes and helicopters reportedly bombed separatist hideouts within the country's borders.

-- From wire reports