President George W. Bush's vision to wage war on Iran is 'insane' and 'incomprehensible', prominent journalist Christopher Hedges says.

During a Q&A at the recent 2008 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Hedges said political analysts in American and Middle Eastern affairs could not justify the Bush Administration's plans to attack Iran.

"It is so insane to attack Iran. It is almost incomprehensible for those of us who come out of Middle East," said Hedges, who spent seven years in the region, mostly as the Middle East Bureau Chief for The New York Times.

In spite of a Dec 3 National Intelligence Estimate conceding with 'high confidence' that Iran is not conducting a nuclear weapons program, the Bush administration insists that 'all options' - including the use of military force - are on the table to counter 'Iran's threat' to Israel and the Middle East.

"The consequences would be devastating and so counterproductive to us, and everyone who lives in Middle East," Hedges continued.

"The intelligence estimate (on Iran) was an effort by our 16 intelligence agencies to speak out with one voice against a war in Iran in a way they didn't in the lead-up to war in Iraq," the Pulitzer prize-winning reporter added.

However, pointing to the resignation of Admiral Fallon, Hedges stated that the NIE report on Iran's nuclear program had not persuaded the administration to 'count out' a military option against the country.

His remarks came amid reports that the US president is drawing up plans to launch an air strike against Iran 'within two months'.

MD/CS/BGH