Iran plays down threats to attack Israel

[sabra]

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1145961279625&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Iran plays down threats to attack Israel

The Iranian military played down threats by a top Revolutionary Guards commander that Israel would be the Islamic state's first target if attacked by US forces over its nuclear plans, a newspaper said on Thursday.

The United States, which accuses Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, says it wants the standoff solved diplomatically but has refused to rule out military action. Iran says it is pursuing only nuclear power generation.

"Israel will be the first target on our list if the United States launches an evil attack against us," said Revolutionary Guards Rear Admiral Mohammad-Ebrahim Dehqani on Tuesday.

But Alireza Afshar, deputy chief of the military staff, dismissed the remarks.

"What he said was his personal view and has no validity as far as the Iranian military officials are concerned," the Kayhan newspaper quoted Afshar as saying.

[endarkenment]

1. US "wants the standoff solved diplomatically"

but refuses to negotiate with or recognize the Iranian government. Instead we repeatedly threaten Iran with military force including nuclear attack and have announced that if the UN does not go along with our demands we will act unilaterally.

Iran has no military assets that can seriously threaten Israel.

Iran is allowed to build uranium enrichment facilities within the NPT framework.

[toopers]

2. If they have missiles that can reach Europe . . .

can't those same missiles reach Israel?

[endarkenment]

3. yes they can

However as Israel is either the number 3 or the number 5 nuclear power on the planet, with a survivable capability to strike anywhere on the planet, Iran's medium range missile capability does not seriously threaten Israel, nor would it even if the Iranians developed a nuclear weapons capability.

If you are asking can they lob a few conventional missiles at Israel, the answer is yes they could but the Iranians are highly unlikely to do that considering what the response from the Israelis might be.

Of course the entire region would be far less threatened with mass destruction if all powers in the region agreed to complete verified nuclear disarmament, however that discussion is not even on the table, and it is not Iran that is blocking it.

[Ian David]

4. It would annoy Israelis busy rebuilding the Iranian quake victims' homes

See related thread:

Israelis help rebuild Iran
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x124681