"They (rogue states) can be absolutely confident that in the right conditions we would be willing to use our nuclear weapons," Hoon told a parliamentary defence committee Wednesday.

Some "states of concern" -- such as Iraq or Libya -- "might be capable of targeting the UK" within a few years' time, he warned.

North Korea and Iran are the other countries that Washington and London have described as countries of concern.

Britain may be showing Baghdad it means business, but these comments do not reflect a decisive change in nuclear deterrence policy, analysts said.

"The strategic defense review that this government produced in 1998 said that we would not use nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear state. It was part of a non-proliferation regime unless it attacks us," Timothy Garden, security specialist from the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA), told AFP.

"I don't think it's an enormous change to the appoach that Britain has taken to its nuclear weapons in the past," he said of Hoon's latest comments.

"Everyone is getting excited because it's slightly more specific than it was before."

This was a view shared by Gary Samore from the International Institute of Strategic Studies.

"I don't think that the statement is anything particuliary new. The US and European countries have made similar statements," he said.

Such statments, according to Samore, must be viewed in the light of the increasing possibility of war between the US, backed by Britain, and Iraq.

"It is becoming more and more likely that there will be military action against Iraq before the end of the year," said Garden.

Embarrassingly for Washington the US Nuclear Policy Review was leaked to the press earlier the month.

The review called for a reform in the "Cold War" policy of singling out Russia and instead saw China, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea and Syria as potential targets for US nuclear strikes.

On US plans for an anti-ballistic missile defence shield Hoon reaffirmed that, as yet, the government had not decided whether to back such a system.

"Although the Cold War is over, we face new, emerging threats. It is right that we consider all possible elements of a comprehensive strategy," he said.

His comments were seen as part of a "softening up" process to prepare the ground for Britain to accept the US plans -- which could cover Europe -- once they come forward with definite proposals.

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