mosze_zblisko_daleka
10.04.07, 08:31
Russian General Says U.S. Continues Preparations for Iran Strike
Created: 09.04.2007 09:44 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 11:38 MSK, 22 hours 2
minutes ago
The release of the 15 British sailors and marines captured by Iran has robbed
the U.S. of a pretext to attack Iran, but the U.S. has not given up plans to
attack Iran militarily, president of the Academy for Geopolitical Problems
Colonel General Leonid Ivashov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news
agency.
“Preparations to strike Iran’s strategic facilities continue. Three major
groups of U.S. forces are still in the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf.
Altogether, they have up to 450 cruise missiles on alert,” the general said.
“Military operations against Tehran will begin with the launch of at least
two unexpected strikes using Tomahawk cruise missiles and air power in order
to disable Iran’s air defense capabilities,” he said.
“According to our data, up to 150 aircraft are to be involved in each strike
on Iran. Land-based air defense systems will be disabled in the first place,
then mobile short-range systems, which Tehran has (including some 30 new
systems),” he said.
Primary targets will include command centers, air defense installations, the
navy, airfields, ports and docking facilities, the general said.
“Nuclear facilities may be secondary targets. According to expert
assessments, at least 20 such facilities need to be destroyed in order to
stop Iran’s nuclear program,” Ivashov said.
Ivashov did not rule out that nuclear weapons may be used against Iran.
“Combat nuclear weapons may be used for bombing. This will result in
radioactive contamination of the Iranian territory, which could possibly
spread to neighboring countries,” he said.
“If Iran strikes back at Israel with missiles, Tel-Aviv is likely to use
nuclear weapons on Iran,” Ivashov said, adding that such a “development of
the situation would undermine stability not only in the Middle East, but also
in the entire world.”
