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Iranian women walk past a painting during their visit to a nuclear exhibition at Bahman Cultural complex in Tehran May 2, 2006. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl
Iran threatens Israel if US acts “evil”
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran threatened on Tuesday to attack Israel in response to any “evil” act by the United States and said it had enriched uranium to a level close to the maximum compatible with civilian use in power stations.
The defiant statements were issued shortly before world powers meet in Paris to discuss the next steps after Tehran rejected a U.N. call to halt uranium enrichment.
Senior officials from the U.N. Security Council’s permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — plus Germany were to discuss how to curb an Iranian program that Western nations say conceals a drive for atomic warheads.
The United States and Israel have vowed to deny Iran nuclear weapons. Washington has not excluded war if diplomacy fails, while Tehran has sworn to retaliate if attacked.
“We have announced that wherever America does something evil, the first place that we target will be Israel,” ISNA quoted a senior Revolutionary Guards commander, Rear Admiral Mohammad-Ebrahim Dehqani, as saying on Tuesday.
Iran’s deputy oil minister said there was “some possibility” of a U.S. attack on his country over its nuclear program.
“I am worried. Everybody is worried,” Mohammad Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian said in New Delhi after talks on a proposed $7-billion pipeline from Iran to India via Pakistan.
Concerns that Iran’s dispute with the West could lead to disruption of its oil output pushed oil prices above $74 a barrel, close to the record of $75.35 touched last month.
The United States, Britain and France are expected to introduce a resolution to the Security Council this week that would legally oblige Iran to comply with U.N. demands. The three countries favor limited sanctions if Tehran remains defiant.
Iran said Russia and China, also veto-wielding permanent council members, would not back any punitive measures.
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran will target Israel first if the United States does anything “evil”, a senior commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday.
The United States says it wants Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West solved diplomatically but has refused to rule out military action.
“We have announced that wherever America does something evil, the first place that we target will be Israel,” Revolutionary Guards Rear Admiral Mohammad-Ebrahim Dehqani was quoted as saying by Iran’s student news agency ISNA.
The Islamic Republic has never recognized Israel and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for the Jewish state to be “wiped off the map.”
Dehqani said naval wargames held in the Gulf last month “carried the warning to those countries that threaten Iran, including America and the Zionist regime”.
Experts said the wargames, in which Iran said it had tested new missiles and torpedoes, were a thinly veiled threat that it could disrupt vital Gulf oil shipping lanes if it was attacked.
Wild Thing’s comment…….
Palestinians, take note. Your good friend Iran is threatening to firebomb you.
If they hit Israel, I guarantee that will be the last mistake they ever make. Israel will hit them with a clenched fist and they won’t be getting up from that.
NAKBA!!
nakba yessssssss