Iran?s president said that even before its enemies ?get their hands on the trigger? the country?s military would cut them off, media said on Sunday, in an escalating war of words that has stoked Middle East tension.

The comments by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (photo) came a day after a senior Iranian official said Iran would strike Israel and US bases in the region if the Islamic Republic was attacked over its disputed nuclear programme. US leaders have not ruled out military options if diplomacy fails to assuage fears about Iran?s nuclear activities, which Tehran says is only to produce electricity.

?Before the enemies get their hands on the trigger the armed forces will cut off their hands,? the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as telling reporters. Israel, long assumed to have its own atomic arsenal, has sworn to prevent Iran from emerging as a nuclear-armed power.

Last month it staged an air force exercise that stoked speculation about a possible assault on Iranian nuclear sites. Iran has vowed to strike back at Tel Aviv, as well as US interests and shipping, if it is attacked, asserting that missiles fired during wargames last week included ones that could hit Israel and US bases in the region.

Ahmadinejad said the weaponry displayed in the Revolutionary Guards? missile exercise, which was condemned by Western powers, was only a small part of Iran?s defence capability. ?In the event of necessity, additional parts of our defence capability will be put on display for the world to see,? the president said.

Woman passes driving test after 27 years Teresa Clarke, of Wroxham, Norfolk, USA, spent 15,000 pound in fees, had 450 hours of tuition from 20 instructors and failed 12 previous tests and cancelled a further 35 and had 50 mock exams. She had her first lesson in 1981 shortly before American president Ronald Reagan was shot and Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer. However, Clarke was lucky for the 13th time, thanks to the help of her stepson, who runs a driving school, she finally was allowed to ditch her L-plates last month. ?It took a long time for it to sink in when I was told I had passed. I was so happy I kissed the woman instructor,? the Telegraph quoted her, as saying. Clarke, a former shop assistant who is 5ft tall and has to sit on a cushion to reach the steering wheel, has admitted that she was a hopeless learner because she found it very difficult to concentrate for long period of time. She was such a disaster that many instructors refused to carry on teaching her after a few lessons ? either too scared or too frustrated to continue.

However, then Richard Minkler, her stepson from her first marriage, stepped in and offered her his best instructor.

She was given 56 hours instruction in a two week intensive course and told to give up coffee and tea to aid her concentration. ?I was little upset after I failed my first couple of tests ? but I never really got disheartened,? she said.