“You do not want to give additional argument to new crazies who say, ‘Let’s go and bomb Iran,’ ” Dr. ElBaradei said. “I wake up every morning and see 100 Iraqis, innocent civilians, are dying.”

Dr. ElBaradei, who has urged Western powers to consider allowing Iran limited uranium enrichment on its own territory, is already facing criticism from Bush administration officials who say he should stick to monitoring Iran’s nuclear program and leave diplomatic policy to the six countries that have banded together to confront Tehran’s ambitions.

But several Western European officials echoed his concern, and said privately that they were worried that Mr. Cheney’s “red line”  the point at which he believed Iran was on the brink of acquiring a nuclear weapon and a military strike was necessary  may be coming soon. “We fully believe that Foggy Bottom is committed to the diplomatic track,” one European official said Wednesday, referring the State Department. “But there’s some concern about the vice president’s office.”

Dr. ElBaradei told the BBC that one could not “bomb knowledge.” Asked who the “new crazies” were, he said, “Those who have extreme views and say the only solution is to impose our will by force.”

Exactly one year ago on Friday, the United States, Russia, China, Britain, Germany and France offered a package of incentives to Iran if it stopped enriching uranium, which Iran maintains is for peaceful purposes but which the West believes is directed toward a nuclear weapons program. Iran rejected the offer, and the United Nations Security Council has since passed two sets of sanctions aimed at forcing that country’s governing religious leadership to change its mind.

Ms. Rice was the one who prodded Mr. Bush last year to offer to reverse 27 years of American policy and join European talks with Iran over its nuclear program, provided that Iran suspended its enrichment of uranium. Some conservative hawks in the administration have privately expressed doubt that the diplomatic course would yield much.

Last week, the atomic energy agency issued a report detailing Iran’s progress in enriching uranium, and said that Iran had 1,300 centrifuges running during a surprise inspection in May. The report did say that Iran had fed only 260 kilograms of uranium hexafluoride into the machines for enrichment over the past few months, suggesting that the centrifuges were running quite slowly. But American officials have nonetheless called the report “alarming” because Iran is closing in on the 3,000 centrifuges needed to make a nuclear bomb.