US army chief designate warns Iran against pursuing nuke weapons

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US Army Chief designate General Martin Dempsey has warned Iran to avoid making a 'serious miscalculation' in pursuing nuclear weapons or sponsoring attacks in Iraq.

General Dempsey pledged at a confirmation hearing to guide the US army through a new era of tighter budgets and challenges.

He also promised to carry out government orders for a drawdown in Afghanistan and to keep up pressure on Pakistan to fight militants.

'With its nuclear activities and its surrogate activities in southern Iraq, there is a high potential that Iran will make a serious miscalculation of US resolve,' the Daily Times quoted General Dempsey, as saying.

Dempsey said Iran might be seeking a 'Beirut-like moment' in Iraq referring to the devastating 1983 attack against US and French forces in Beirut claimed by Iranian-linked militants.

Dempsey said Iran wanted to 'send a message that they have expelled US from Iraq.'

The United States plans to pull out its remaining 47,000 troops from Iraq at the end of the year, ending a deeply polarising military mission.

'As long as we've got those soldiers there, we're going to do whatever we have to do to protect them, and I want to make sure that is clear to everyone,' Dempsey added.

Iran, which has had tense relations with the United States since the 1979 Islamic revolution, has refused to halt uranium enrichment, which it claims to be for civilian energy purposes.