PRESIDENT BUSH reaffirmed yesterday his policy of pre-emptive strikes against terrorists, rogue states with weapons of mass destruction and hostile regimes perceived to threaten the United States.

In the first review of national security strategy since the invasion of Iraq three years ago, the Administration — undaunted by the political and military damage that it has since sustained — asserted that the strike-first policy remained the same. The President said: “If necessary . . . under long-standing principles of self-defence, we do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur — even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy’s attack.”

The document, published yesterday, singled out Iran as the greatest threat, saying that the regime there was seeking to develop nuclear weapons, threatening Israel, sponsoring terrorism, thwarting the Middle East peace process and interfering in Iraq. But there was also a significant emphasis on diplomacy and the promotion of democracy, which suggested that the US was, if not chastened, at least listening to the concerns of its allies.

Stephen Hadley, the US National Security Adviser, said that in promising to take “all necessary measures” against Iran, the Administration did not intend to signal a greater willingness to use military force. Instead, it was indicating a willingness to step up pressure on Iran’s leaders through the UN Security Council, before adding — rather more ominously — that “this diplomatic effort must succeed if confrontation is to be avoided”.

The 49-page document contains language of the need for “effective democracies”. Seven nations were said to have “despotic systems”: North Korea, Syria, Cuba, Belarus, Burma, Zimbabwe and Iran.

The document offered a much more sceptical view of Russia than that published in 2002, when Mr Bush was forging a friendship with President Putin. “Recent trends regrettably point toward a diminishing commitment to democratic freedoms and institutions,” it read. It also warned China that it must “act as a responsible stakeholder that fulfils its obligations” and guarantee political freedom as well as economic freedom. “Our strategy,” the document read, “seeks to encourage China to make the right strategic choices for its people, while we hedge against other possibilities.”

Opinion polls indicate that the Administration’s handling of Iraq has pushed Mr Bush’s approval rating to a low of between 33 and 36 per cent.

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