United States President George W Bush vowed to crack down on Iranian and Syrian meddling in Iraq and boost defence measures in West Asia to promote stability throughout the region.
Announcing his latest strategy to tame Iraq, Bush said on Wednesday he had ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group and Patriot anti-missile systems in the Middle East to beef up regional security.
As he ordered more than 20,000 additional troops into Iraq and unveiled a last-ditch $6.8 billion plan to curb chaos in the war-torn nation, Bush said a key to the success of his new strategy was cutting off Iranian and Syrian support to "terrorists" in Iraq.
"These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq," Bush said in a prime time television address to an American public fed up with the nearly four-year war that has left more than 3,000 US troops dead.
He accused Iran of providing material support for attacks on American troops and vowed to disrupt these raids.
{{/usCountry}}He accused Iran of providing material support for attacks on American troops and vowed to disrupt these raids.
{{/usCountry}}"We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq," he said.
Bush also said the United States would work with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region.
It would also help the governments of Turkey and Iraq to resolve their border problems, he said.