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April 15, 2006
Iran Issues Stark Military Warning to United States
Iran said it could defeat any American military action over its controversial nuclear drive, in one of the Islamic regime's boldest challenges yet to the United States.
"You can start a war but it won't be you who finishes it," said General Yahya Rahim Safavi, the head of the Revolutionary Guards and among the regime's most powerful figures.
"The Americans know better than anyone that their troops in the region and in Iraq are vulnerable. I would advise them not to commit such a strategic error," he told reporters on the sidelines of a pro-Palestinian conference in Tehran.
The United States accuses Iran of using an atomic energy drive as a mask for weapons development. Last weekend US news reports said President George W. Bush's administration was refining plans for preventive strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
"I would advise them to first get out of their quagmire in Iraq before getting into an even bigger one," General Safavi said with a grin.
"We have American forces in the region under total surveillance. For the past two years, we have been ready for any scenario, whether sanctions or an attack."
Iran announced this week it had successfully enriched uranium to make nuclear fuel, despite a UN Security Council demand for the sensitive work to be halted by April 28.
The Islamic regime says it only wants to generate atomic energy, but enrichment can be extended to make the fissile core of a nuclear warhead -- something the United States is convinced that "axis of evil" member Iran wants to acquire.
At a Friday prayer sermon in Tehran, senior cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Janati simply branded the US as a "decaying power" lacking the "stamina" to block Iran's ambitions.
And hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told AFP that a US push for tough United Nations sanctions was of "no importance."
"She is free to say whatever she wants," the president replied when asked to respond to comments by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice highlighting part of the UN charter that provides for sanctions backed up by the threat of military action.
"We give no importance to her comments," he said with a broad smile.
On Thursday, Rice said that faced with Iran's intransigence, the United States "will look at the full range of options available to the United Nations."
"There is no doubt that Iran continues to defy the will of the international community," Rice said, after Iran also dismissed a personal appeal from the UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief must give a report at the end of April on Iranian compliance with the Security Council demand. In Tehran he said that after three years of investigations Iran's activities were "still hazy and not very clear."
Although the United States has been prodding the council to take a tough stand against the Islamic republic, including possible sanctions, it has run into opposition from veto-wielding members Russia and China.
Representatives of the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany are to meet in Moscow Tuesday to discuss the crisis.
In seeking to deter international action, Iran has been playing up its oil wealth, its military might in strategic Gulf waters and its influence across the region -- such as in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
At the Tehran conference, Iran continued to thumb its nose at the United States and Israel.
"The Zionist regime is an injustice and by its very nature a permanent threat," Ahmadinejad told the gathering of regime officials, visiting Palestinian militant leaders and foreign sympathizers.
"Whether you like it or not, the Zionist regime is on the road to being eliminated," said Ahmadinejad, whose regime does not recognise Israel and who drew international condemnation last year when he said Israel should be "wiped off the map."
Unfazed by his critics, the hardliner went on to repeat his controversial stance on the Holocaust.
"If there is serious doubt over the Holocaust, there is no doubt over the catastrophe and Holocaust being faced by the Palestinians," said the president, who had previously dismissed as a "myth" the killing of an estimated six million Jews by the Nazis and their allies during World War II.
"I tell the governments who support Zionism to ... let the migrants (Jews) return to their countries of origin. If you think you owe them something, give them some of your land," he said.
Iran's turbaned supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also accused the United States of seeking to place the entire region under Israeli control.
"The plots by the American government against Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon aimed at governing the Middle East with the control of the Zionist regime will not succeed," Khamenei said.
There was no immediate reaction from Washington, but French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy severely condemned Ahmadinejad for his latest remarks on Israel.
"As I have had occasion to do before, when the Iranian president made similar statements, I condemn these inacceptable remarks in the strongest possible terms," Douste-Blazy said in a statement.
"Israel's right to exist and the reality of the Holocaust should not be disputed," he added.
Posted by Wild Thing at April 15, 2006 10:08 AM
Comments
boasting and bluffing are a part of islamic culture..just try to buy something from a Moslem shop in an Islamic culture. Hell, they get insulted if you do not haggle over the price.
But when the west takes them serious about their boasts and kicks their butt is all the fault of the west. Iran is doing the same thing as Saddam was doing in Iraq and the question is do we let them get by with it or make a desert out of Tehran. I think it is time to give them fair warning that we are going to drop a nuke on the major cities--tell the people to get out because we are going to flatten the gotdam place. Give them say, thirty days to dispose of the mad mullahs and the crazy prez they elected and if it don't happen flatten the cities. If they fight back flatten another city until the while gotdam place is a desert. We fight them now while we are no doubt the strongest or we fight tem later when they not only will be stronger but the socialists in this country will give up without a fight.
Posted by: GUYK at April 15, 2006 12:23 PM
It's no wonder they feel emboldened, we have the media, the Democrats, the RINO's and two past presidents telling the whole world that America is a paper tiger, that we'll cut and run then it will be business as usual once the Democrats get back in power. Light 'em up. Warn them with an old fashioned Arc Light mission only using a stronger dose of medicine, give them that nuclear power they so desperately seek.
Posted by: Jack at April 15, 2006 01:29 PM
What amazes me, is that the bleeding heart liberals will still read information like this and say Iran is no threat to the United States.
People who have the ideology of this hardliner, have a killing agenda, and will do it at any cost. If anyone thinks we can play nice with these people, they had better wake up and smell the coffee.
as a side note-I love this blog! the design, the content , everything! I got the link here from Barb@annoyinglittletwerp, and also on Vilmar's site- Ranting RightWing Howler, thanks Chrissie! This site is GREAT.
Posted by: SouthernDoll at April 15, 2006 03:04 PM
They think they can stand up to the US military? Not a snowball's hope in hell.
Posted by: Suricou Raven at April 15, 2006 04:13 PM
The General is the Mother of All Assholes. We haven't seen anything like this in a long time, if ever. Some Persian pustulant scab in a silly uniform actually challenging the US to a fight, and claiming he'll win. Even Saddam wasn't this crazy, although he blustered a little. While it hurts, we probably should just keep quiet for now. We certainly know more than this goat turd thinks we know, and I imagine several strategic plans are already in place.
I think there are only two consequences to any approach to a nuclear Iran, and both of them spell war. The first is a pre-emptive strike, which will involve Israel and ignite the ME in a general war. The second is to allow the problem to continue, and see hyper-proliferation of nukes in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and Egypt are already doing it, in response to Iran's challenge to them for leadership in the Muslim world. No one could keep the lid on in a ME like that.
Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hizbollah, The Muslim Brotherhood and several smaller groups, with Russia at their backs, plan to challenge America around the world, even in Latin America. This is a new 1939. The next twenty years are going to be very messy.
Posted by: Rhod at April 15, 2006 04:20 PM
does this mean we can kill him now?
Posted by: LindaSoG at April 15, 2006 04:50 PM
GUY that is so true, they do get ticked off when discussing price. hahaha Good one GUY! Thanks for commenting.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 15, 2006 06:07 PM
Jack, heh heh amen!
"give them that nuclear power they so desperately seek."
Like you said....Light 'em up!
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 15, 2006 06:09 PM
Hi SouthernDoll nice to meet you. Thank you.
I agree, these are just not people one can play nice with.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 15, 2006 06:11 PM
Suricou Raven exactly I agree, I sure would not want to mess with our military if I was another country. No way.
Thanks Raven
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 15, 2006 06:12 PM
Rhod this is such a great title!!!!
"The General is the Mother of All Assholes"
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 15, 2006 06:13 PM
Hi Linda a big ole yippee yessss I think we can and should. K-Pow!
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 15, 2006 06:14 PM
Sounds like Saddam during Desert Shield. I recall him saying if we attacked it would be the Mother of All Wars.
Like I wrote before, it’s the sissy kid shaking his fist at the big guy because he knows him protector (democrats) will try to stop the big kid from beating him up
Posted by: BobF at April 15, 2006 10:07 PM
Bob they sure never let up. ( either one, the dems or the terrorists)
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 16, 2006 12:14 AM
