SYDNEY, Australia (Feb. 23) - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney  left open the possibility of U.S. military action against Iran over its nuclear ambitions, saying Saturday that "all options are still on the table."

Cheney, speaking at a joint news conference with Australia's Prime Minister John Howard, said that the United States was working with it allies to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear weapons programs, and that it was Washington's preference for that to happen peacefully.

"But all options are still on the table," Cheney told reporters.

The next step toward getting Iran to abandon its nuclear programs was still being debated, he said.

"It would be a serious mistake if a nation such as Iran became a nuclear power," Cheney said.