Iran calls on US President George W. bush to refrain from seeking out a scapegoat if his real intention is to resolve the crisis in Iraq.

"The latest remarks by the US president are another effort to escape from the realities in Iraq," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini on Friday.

The Iranian official was referring to bush's joint press conference held Friday with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in which the American president had accused Tehran of funding militias and fueling insecurity in Iraq.

"American politicians are unfortunately unwilling to accept reality," Hosseini responded.

Dismissing the White House allegations against Iran, Hosseini urged Washington to adopt 'logical policies to put an end to the agony of Iraqis', saying a stable Iraq would help bring peace to the Persian Gulf.

"Whenever it faces serious security problems in Iraq, Washington makes baseless accusations against other countries," the Iranian spokesman concluded.

MD/AA