Iran is not on Hillary Rodham Clinton's itinerary in her first swing through the Middle East and Europe as secretary of state. But it is clearly, and constantly, on her mind.

After three days of meetings in Egypt, Israel and the West Bank, Clinton said she was struck by the depth of fear about Iran, and the extent to which officials say it meddles in their affairs.

"There is a great deal of concern about Iran from this whole region," she said Wednesday. "It is clear Iran intends to interfere with the internal affairs of all of these people, and try to continue their efforts to fund terrorism, whether it is Hezbollah or Hamas or other proxies."

The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, complained after a meeting with Clinton that the Iranian government, which issued critical comments by its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was trying to deepen divisions between Palestinians.

Later, as Clinton flew to Europe for meetings at NATO and with the Russian foreign minister, she again invoked Iran, saying the threat of a missile strike by Tehran could be a basis for cooperation between the United States and Russia on the contentious issue of missile defense.

"Iran poses a threat to Europe and Russia," she said. "How do we cooperate on that? This is a very rich area for exploration."

Clinton did not comment on the letter that President Barack Obama sent to President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia in which Obama offered to scale back a planned missile defense system for Eastern Europe in return for Russia's cooperation in efforts to halt Iran's nuclear program.

But Clinton said she believed that Moscow was beginning to accept the argument that the missile system was not aimed at Russia, but was meant to protect Europe from a threatening neighbor.

"Iran is the name we put to them," she said. "But it is a kind of stand-in for the range of threats that we foresee."

Clinton's hawkish words seemed designed to keep Tehran on the defensive while the Obama administration completes its review of Iran policy. That could happen in the next two weeks, officials said.

In a meeting Monday with an Arab foreign minister, Clinton expressed skepticism that Iran would respond positively to the Obama administration's offer of direct negotiations.

Her announcement that the United States would send envoys to Syria to begin talks may be designed, in part, to put pressure on Tehran. While she declined to elaborate on the visit, she said, "We believe that there is an opportunity for Syria to play a constructive role, if it chooses to do so."

Despite her tough tone, Clinton said the United States was open to working with the Iranians in stabilizing Afghanistan, their eastern neighbor. During the early days of the war in Afghanistan, she noted, Iranian officials consulted daily with their American counterparts.

In traveling from Jerusalem to the West Bank, Clinton reiterated support for the Palestinian Authority, which she said was the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

Clinton said she pressed the Israeli government to open border crossings to war-ravaged Gaza to allow deliveries of humanitarian goods. And she criticized an Israeli plan to demolish Palestinian homes in Jerusalem.

While the United States is presenting a uniform message of energetic engagement in the Middle East, Clinton has adjusted her public statements to different audiences in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

"We have obviously expressed concern about the border crossings," she said. "We want humanitarian aid to get into Gaza in sufficient amounts to help the suffering people of Gaza."

Clinton also spoke out against Israeli plans to demolish houses belonging to Palestinians in East Jerusalem. She said the orders, issued by the city authorities, were "unhelpful" to the peace process and a violation of the "road map" to which the Israeli government has committed itself.

Israelis claim the houses were built illegally. The Palestinian owners said they were unable to obtain building permits. Israel ordered the demolition of 88 homes last week and an additional 55 this week. The dispute has become a microcosm of the larger battle over Jerusalem.

"It is clearly a matter of deep concern to those who are directly affected," Clinton said.

When she was asked about the border crossings in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Clinton said Israel faced a dilemma in loosening its controls, since Hamas continued to launch rockets at southern Israeli towns.

And she said nothing about the demolition of Palestinian houses.

By Mark Landler, The New York Times, March 4, 2009