TEHRAN, 21 September 2007 — Iran said yesterday it had “scared its enemies” by test flying two new generation, domestically produced jet fighter planes and had shown its battle readiness, the latest riposte to speculation about a war over Tehran’s nuclear plans.

French officials, including President Nicolas Sarkozy, have spurred talk about a possible war by saying the failure of diplomacy to resolve Iran’s dispute with the West over its atomic program could result in conflict.

The United States, which has been leading efforts to isolate Iran because it believes Tehran is trying to build atomic bombs, has said it wants diplomacy to end the standoff but has refused to rule out military options if that route fails. Tehran says its nuclear plans are geared to energy production.

Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar told state TV that experts in the ministry and air force had jointly carried out research, design and production of the Saegheh warplane. “Two Saegheh jets were tested successfully by air force pilots... The test scared Iran’s enemies,” Najjar told state television, adding that the two jets would officially join the country’s fleet of warplanes tomorrow.

Armed forces chief Ataollah Salehi also said of the test flights: “Iran, with its advanced equipment and capabilities, is fully prepared for any possible aggression.” Iran said in September last year it had for the first time flown one of the Saegheh planes, describing it then as a modification of a warplane already in its fleet.

Meanwhile, a request by Iran’s president to lay a wreath at the World Trade Center site in New York City next week has been turned down by police and blasted by US diplomats as an attempt to turn ground zero into a “photo op.” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is to arrive in New York on Sunday to address the UN’s General Assembly, asked the city and the US Secret Service earlier this month for permission to visit the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The request to enter the fenced-in site was rejected because of ongoing construction there and due to security concerns, police spokesman Paul Browne said Wednesday.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said a visit to ground zero “is a matter for the city of New York, but it seems more than odd that the president of a country that is a state sponsor of terror would visit ground zero.”

Mohammad Mir Ali Mohammadi, spokesman for the Iranian mission to the UN, said he was not notified officially that Ahmadinejad would not be allowed at the site, but said it was unfortunate. “President Ahmadinejad intended to lay a wreath at the site of ground zero in order to pay tribute to the victims of the terrorists attack of Sept. 11, 2001. We are hopeful that we can still work something out with the police department,” he said.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Wednesday the city was considering Ahmadinejad’s application, prompting an outcry from politicians and families of Sept. 11 victims.

Browne said about two hours later that Kelly had misspoken. Port Authority and police representatives decided at a meeting that no dignitaries would be allowed inside the site, said Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman.