Rice Talks Tough on Iran, Slams Egypt

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice slammed Iran on Monday for harassing U.S. ships in the Strait of Hormuz and said the renegade nation is "the single greatest threat to the kind of Middle East we all want to see."

In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Rice said "Iran should not engage in such provocations. That's what it was and it needs to stop. The U.S. is going to defend its interests. It's going to defends its allies."

Rice also criticized Egypt, saying it had not done enough to stem the flow of weapons into the Gaza Strip.

"Egypt has to do more. Those tunnels need to be dealt with," she said. "We're prepared, obviously, to give [assistance], but the will to do it is very important here."

Rice and President Bush depart Tuesday for a trip to the Mideast.