"US has plans to invade Iran before Bush's term ends"(theTelegraph/India)

[katty]

article/excerpt:
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050926/asp/nation/story_5284580.asp
9/26/05

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh personally cleared the decision to vote with the US and the so-called EU-3, namely Germany, France and the UK, in favour of referring Iran at an unspecified date to the Security Council on suspicions of pursuing a programme to acquire nuclear weapons in the full knowledge that the vote would spark a furore among Left parties and to a lesser extent in the BJP.

In deciding to vote with the West and not abstaining along with Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa, what weighed with the Prime Minister was the absolute imperative for India to secure its interests in the Gulf and not the desire to protect the July 18, 2005, Indo-US nuclear agreement, according to diplomats engaged in the negotiations that led to the IAEA resolution yesterday.

Top-ranking Americans have told equally top-ranking Indians in recent weeks that the US has plans to invade Iran before Bush’s term ends. In 2002, a year before the US invaded Iraq, high-ranking Americans had similarly shared their definitive vision of a post-Saddam Iraq, making it clear that they would change the regime in Baghdad.

[buff2]

1. With who? And with what?

I thought the troops were "stretched thin" and I thought they still didn't have the equipment they need. :shrug:

[Boo_Radley]

3. Troop withdrawl

If they take troops from Iraq, claimimg the security force is up-to-snuff, they can use them to invade Iran. If things in Iraq fall apart, they can cover themselves politically by blaming the withdrawl of troops on preassure from Liberals.

[HereSince1628]

2. I'm sure there is a plan. I am doubtful it will be executed.

The US has plenty of bombing capacity, but we are tapped out with respect to sufficient ground forces. Bombing I could imagine, but invasion with ground troops not until months after we initiated conscription.

[freethought]

4. Can anyone say "draft"?

This is the only way that they can even think of an Invasion of Iran. I really don't think they care of what the consequences of reinstating the draft are. There could be a major uproar from voters, protests, draft card burnings, and the like. This could give them an rationale for martial law.
Iran would not be like Iraq, there would be no token resistance at a few areas. They would be facing a well equipped military with trained troops. Other Arab countries would be on their side. I do not think the U.S. would take victory but it would end up some kind of bloody stalemate.