The new U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday was tough on Iran, indicating that it is not the right time to engage with the Islamic republic.

"The Iranians are acting in a very negative way in many respects," he told reporters after a meeting here with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

He argued that Iran has changed attitudes, from concerns over a strong U.S. military presence in both its eastern and western frontiers to a belief that the United States is over stretched in Iraq.

"The Iranians clearly believe that we are tied down in Iraq, that they have the initiative, that they are in a position to press us in many ways," he said.

"They are doing nothing to be constructive in Iraq at this point. In addition, they have supported Hezbollah's efforts to create new conflict in Lebanon."

Gates said he co-chaired a study on U.S.-Iran relations in 2004, which concluded that it would have been useful to engage with Iran at that time. There was evidence that Iran was being helpful inside Iraq. "None of those conditions apply any longer," he said.

Gates indicated that the Iranians have to take the initiative in order to be engaged positively by the United States.

"My view is that when the Iranians are prepared to play a constructive role in dealing with some of these problems then there might be opportunities for engagement."

He said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on several occasions, has noted that she would like to sit down with the Iranians if they commit not to enrich uranium, a process that can both produce nuclear fuel and atomic bombs.

"The opportunity is there for engagement. But I would say the initiative rests with the Iranians," said Gates.

Referring to a recent decision to deploy ballistic missiles and a second aircraft carrier in the Gulf region, Gates said that the deployment was reaffirmation of the importance of the region to the United States.

"We are simply reaffirming that statement of the importance of the Gulf region to the United States and our determination to be an ongoing strong presence in that area for a long time in the future," he said.

Stability in the Gulf region is in "long-term, strategic, vital interests" of the United States, he added.

Gates is on his first trip to the NATO headquarters after he took over as the new secretary of defense last month.

De Hoop Scheffer said Gates' visit was to underline the importance of the alliance and to discuss issues that would come up at an informal NATO defense ministers' meeting in Sevilla, Spain, next month.

Washington, coupled with other Western powers, accuses Tehran of trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies the accusation, and vows to defend its rights to develop nuclear technology for civilian power generation.

Source: Xinhua