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Iran
By Paul Hughes Sun Aug 15, 2004 10:30 AM ET TEHRAN (Reuters) - A senior Iranian military official said Sunday Israel and the United States would not dare attack Iran since it could strike back anywhere in Israel with its latest missiles, news agencies reported. Iranian officials have made a point of highlighting the Islamic state's military capabilities in recent weeks in response to some media reports that Israeli or U.S. warplanes could try to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities in air strikes. Iran last week said it carried out a successful test firing of an upgraded version of its Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile. Military experts said the unmodified Shahab-3 was already capable of striking Israel or U.S. bases in the Gulf. "The entire Zionist territory, including its nuclear facilities and atomic arsenal, are currently within range of Iran's advanced missiles," the ISNA students news agency quoted Yadollah Javani, head of the Revolutionary Guards political bureau, as saying. The mullahs seem to forget that they too are within range of Israeli missiles. What's more, the Israeli vehicles carry significantly more destructive payloads than anything Iran can muster. "Therefore, neither the Zionist regime nor America will carry out its threats" against Iran, he said. An attack on Iran "could only be carried out by angry or stupid people. For that reason, officials of the Islamic Republic must always be prepared to counter possible military threats," Javani said in a statement, ISNA reported. And precisely how does Iran intend to retaliate against America if it opts for destroying Iran's nuclear weapons program? Posted by: Zenster 2004-08-15 |
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