Iran policy to figure prominently in Rice's first diplomatic trip.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Warren P. Strobel

LONDON _ Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signaled Thursday that President Bush will pursue a tough policy toward Iran in his second term, saying the United States won't join negotiations on Tehran's nuclear weapons program and calling the country's "un-elected mullahs" out of step with Middle East trends.

Rice, setting out on a weeklong dash through Europe and the Middle East in which Iran policy will figure prominently, said she'll try to forge a "unity of message" with Europe over Iran's nuclear weapons program, its support for terrorism and its violent opposition to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

But she rebuffed European pleas that the United States join its diplomatic outreach to Iran aimed at halting its enrichment …