Sunday, January 29, 2006
Iran Threatens Mid-Ranged Missile Attacks if Nuclear Program Targeted
It wouldn’t be a day of the week if Iran wasn’t saying something inflammatory and really scary. Today, they started out the week with a smile, threatening to fire medium range missiles should their nuclear program be attacked by the West. Iran is believed to have missiles with a 1,200 mile range, which means Israel, US Bases in the Gulf, and of course US troops in Iraq, are within range.
This round of comments came from Yahya Rahim Safavi, commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guard. The Revolutionary Guard is a military group that operates in parallel to the standard Iranian military, and is directly answerable to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenie. As Ahmadinejad has become more vocal, the world had not heard from Khamenie for some time, and there were questions about his support for Ahmadinejad’s rantings. This statement answers some of those questions.
Safavi also accused Britain and the US of arming rebels in Khuzestan, in the South of Iran, areas with Iran’s rich oil reserves. "Occupying forces in Iraq, particularly those in the south, provide Iranian agents with material for bombing," he said. "British and U.S. intelligence services should avoid interfering in our affairs." Bombs have become a way of life in Khuzestan, and another bomb went off there last Tuesday in a government building, killing eight people.
The situation just worsens and worsens there, and our government passes this off as rhetoric. Really, each of these statements are mini battles for the perception of the various people around the Middle East. Each time Iran makes these statements, the Islamic world sees that they are not afraid of the west, and Iran grows more powerful. Syria has fallen in behind Iraq already, and it appears that Lebanon is next. The situation becomes more perilous, and we must act, with more than just arms to insurgents. The tiem is now!
Posted by Scottage at 1:54 AM /
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