Pentagon military planners, who had originally set February as the target for invading Iraq, have now postponed the date to mid-March, according to The Washington Times.

The paper attributed the delay to 'diplomatic snags' and 'difficulties' in moving heavy army divisions, though the majority of the navy, air force and Marine corps combat units are already in the Persian Gulf poised for an attack.

The timing of the war is critical, US officials said, 'because it is best for troops and machines to fight in the Gulf's 70 degree Fahrenheit winter weather than its oppressive desert heat of summer'.

The temperatures begin to rise in April.

"When war plans were maturing in the summer," said the paper, "planners looked at February as the optimum time to begin military action. However, President [George] Bush subsequently decided to take the issue of Iraqi disarmament to the UN."

US officials said the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq after a four-year hiatus and the need for a debate in the UN Security Council extended the timeline.