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| Axis of Evil |
| Iran looking forward to shooting at Brit, U.S. planes... |
| 2002-08-04 |
| Hardliners in Iran say British and US planes should be shot down by Iran if they attack Iraq, but reformers are horrified by the prospect of a war on Saddam Hussein embracing them too. The hardline position was expressed in an interview with The Observer by Hussein Shariatmadari, a close ally and confidant of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. How long has he been suicidal? He said that he believed that the real target of the proposed American-led attack was Iran. 'I believe that they are only after Iran's surrender, and the best way is via Saddam,' said Shariatmadari. 'Therefore, if American planes are going to go to Iraq it seems to me that they are going towards Iran, so, if they attack you, would you attack them? The answer is "yes". If the missiles were in my hands, I would hit all the American planes.' And the Americans and Brits will kill lots of Iranians at the missile sites. Then they can have a new crisis and the stage will be set for Phase II. That's a great candidate for "Dumbest Idea of the Year." One senior government figure, a reformer who asked to remain anonymous, denounced Shariatmadari's views as 'crazy'. He said: 'We are between two enemies, and we are not so stupid as to shoot down the Americans.' Reformers believe that to do so would play into American hands by giving President Bush a perfect excuse to attack Iran. "Crazy." As in "lunatic." That's a good description. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 Don't over look the upside here. Without even firing a shot at Iran, or even threatening to do so, we're seeing a major split develop in the ruling caste. Not to mention getting an excuse to put the screws to Pyongyang if its missiles ARE used against us. |
| Posted by: Dan Hartung 2002-08-04 11:25:37 |