Straw, who was due to hold talks with Secretary of State designate Condoleeza Rice, traveled to Washington on Sunday night and was expected to have arrived already, the Foreign Office said.

The Sunday Times newspaper reported here that he has drawn up Britain's case against a military strike on Iran amid fears US President George W. Bush may seek support for a new conflict.

Straw has produced a 200-page dossier that rules out military action and makes the case for a "negotiated solution" to thwart Iran's suspected ambition to produce nuclear weapons, the paper reported.

It says a peaceful solution led by Britain, France and Germany is "in the best interests of Iran and the international community," while referring to "safeguarding Iran's right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology."

The Americans, meanwhile, have been angered by Britain's backing for moves by France and Germany to lift the European Union arms embargo on China, imposed after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.

It has led to warnings that the United States will refuse to share sensitive military technology with Britain because of concerns that it could eventually be used against it by the Chinese.

The Foreign Office would only say the talks with Rice would involve "normal Foreign Secretary business".

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