Iran issues stark military warning to United States

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[Iam1ru1-2]

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 last 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.

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Iran deployed ballistic missiles within range of U.S. bases in Iraq

Iran has quietly deployed its Shihab-2 medium-range ballistic missiles within striking distance of major U.S. military bases in Iraq. The Shihab-2s, with a range of about 700 kilometers, were moved west from bases near Teheran toward the border with Iraq earlier this year.

Western intelligence sources said Teheran would use the Shihab-2 in case of any U.S. air strike on Iran. Iran would probably not use its aging military aircraft to try to defend air space, they said.

The sources said Iran has acquired the capability to install chemical warheads on the Shihab-2. Iran operates two chemical production plants and has developed weapons of mass destruction warheads for nearly all of its medium- and intermediate-range missiles.

[GreenAccord]

"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.

Man, do these clowns and Democrats sing the same song.

[Williams]

This is an old quote, but you can't fault a guy for warning you. They say they will retaliate, so be sure to finish them off on the way in.

[axes_of_weezles]

General Spit.

It's hard to launch an attack when your country is a parking lot or glass parking lot.

[axes_of_weezles]

General Spit.

It's hard to launch an attack when your country is a parking lot or glass parking lot.

[mylife]

oh no! iran has scuds and nerve agent /sarc

[Swiss]

**The sources said Iran has acquired the capability to install chemical warheads on the Shihab-2. Iran operates two chemical production plants and has developed weapons of mass destruction warheads for nearly all of its medium- and intermediate-range missiles.**

Anyone know if we have distroyed our nerve agent stocks yet. If not I think we have a cheap and easy way to get rid of them over Iran.

[Babu]

As they say in locker rooms throughout the sports world,

"That's just bulletin board material ... "

[4U2OUI]

Hey, look, it's Mr Im-inna-bad-suit conferring with his top general.

[Meadow Muffin]

You just have to smile knowing that we have a tight little plan already worked out for this part of Sand Land.

[SampleMan]

Iran said it could defeat any American military action over its controversial nuclear drive

Dear Mullah, The our MIRVed Trident missiles are 15 minutes out. Give it your best shot.

[McBuff]

Oh yea right. . .the rivers will run with our blood.. .its Tehran Terry!!!

[mylife]

MIRVed Trident missiles are 15 minutes out. Give it your best shot.

Indeed.

These idiots, infact the vast majority of the world mistake our compassion with weakness

[dennisw]

"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.

We're gonna tear your playhouse down.

[rdcorso]

It's not hard to see why they get this impression.We have idiots like Murtha and the democratic party running around screaming that we can't use military power against Iran.I get sick when I hear these traitors.

[mylife]

It's not hard to see why they get this impression.We have idiots like Murtha and the democratic party running around screaming that we can't use military power against Iran.

Yep, this is America. We hang our dirty laundry out for the entire world to see. But they are fools if they mistake that for weakness

[mylife]

Has Safavi noticed they are surrounded?

[Mark was here]

It's not hard to see why they get this impression.We have idiots like Murtha and the democratic party running around screaming that we can't use military power against Iran.I get sick when I hear these traitors.

I would guess that Iran is a different beast than Iraq, and you cant fight the next war based upon the last. I am in no hurry for another war or $10/gallon gas. I am far from a Democrat, but I just don't see the need for another war.

[bordergal]

I wonder if an EMP attack would knock out some of their military and nuclear programs?

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

"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."

One should not be too brash. We have nukes and 22 B-2s and subs. They have one or two million Shite Muslims both in Iraq and on the border who would come silently at night with knives on command and nukes are no defense against that. The 10,000 we have been fighting in the insurgency is drawn from that and is what they can field and lose and replace at a sustainable rate without depleting the experience pool. But they are capable of fielding the whole 4 million for one all-out attack, many of whom have to go no further than the next street corner to find an American patrol to swarm.

We would win in the end - at a cost of thousands - by depopulating both countries and tearing down everything we've built. But it will be a valuable lesson for taking down Pakistan, the Arabian Peninsula and the Palestinians.