A top U.S. Republican on Friday urged the Bush administration to step up its buildup of missile defense in Europe as a safeguard against possible future attacks from Iran.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist made the appeal in a letter sent to U.S. President George W. Bush.

He said the threat from Iran "is only going to grow in the years ahead" and the United States "needs to take steps now to prepare to deal with that."

Therefore, Frist said, it's time for the Bush administration to intensify negotiations with its European allies to place U.S. missile interceptors on their territory.

At present, the United States has two ground sites hosting missile interceptors, in California and Alaska, respectively.

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