IRAN SAYS IT INTENDS NO THREAT TO GULF SHIPPING Iran said reports that it intended to threaten shipping in the Gulf were baseless, and warned the U.S. And other countries not to interfere in the region. Tehran radio, monitored by the BBC, quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying any attempt at interference would be met by "a strong response from Iran and other Moslems in the world." U.S. Defence Secretary Caspar Weinberger, in remarks apparently unrelated to the broadcast, said the U.S. Would do whatever was necessary to keep shipping lanes open in the face of new Iranian anti-ship missiles in the Gulf. The U.S. State Department said two days ago Tehran had been told of U.S. Concern that Iranian anti-ship missiles posed a threat to the free flow of oil from the Gulf. U.S. Officials have said Iran has new Chinese-made anti-ship "Silkworm" missiles, which pose a greater threat to merchant ships than missiles used before. The Iranian spokesman said the reports that Iran intended to attack ships were "misleading propaganda." He said Iraq's President Saddam Hussein was the main cause of tension in the Gulf and said Iran would continue to use "all its legitimate means to stem the cause of tension." Weinberger said in a television interview in the U.S. "We are fully prepared to do what's necessary to keep the shipping going and keep the freedom of navigation available in that very vital waterway." "We aren't going into any disclosures or discussions of what might happen, but we are certainly very sympathetic to and listening carefully to any suggestions for our assistance in keeping navigation free in that area," he said. Weinberger said U.S warship movements in the Gulf area were not unusual. A U.S. Navy battle group led by the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk is currently in the northern Arabian Sea. The Iranian spokesman was quoted by Tehran radio as saying the U.S. Was trying to build up its military presence in the region.