"America wants to occupy Iraq without encountering any opposition," the paper said, painting a picture of the US insuring its domination of the country "by means of a murderous civil war or tribal conflicts".

"The unfounded accusations and the provocative threats against Arab countries are in the same vein," the paper added.

"They are intended to isolate the Iraqi people from other Arab nations so that they are left alone to face the desperate situation which awaits them, thus rendering the occupation of Iraq all the longer."

The newspaper made no mention of the American threat on Monday to impose economic and diplomatic sanctions on Syria, which it accuses of harbouring illegal chemical weapons and Iraqi regime members who have fled across the border.

SPACE.WIRE