The USA plans to strike Iran. This seems to be a hackneyed statement. Media outlets have used thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of such headlines over the recent several years. On the other hand, there is still no solution to the Iranian nuclear problem that would suit everyone and take account of the USA’s intention to use military methods of pressure. One may thus infer that such headlines will continue to appear in newspapers all over the world.
This time the “secret” plans to attack Iran appeared on the pages of the Washington Post newspaper and New Yorker magazine. According to their publications, the Pentagon and the CIA are considering an opportunity to strike nuclear centers in Natanz and Isfahan. The US administration, the newspapers wrote, plans to use tactical nukes (B61-11 bombs) to target underground facilities (the power of the B61-11 bombs may reach 300 kilotons).
New Yorker wrote that President George W. Bush was considering an opportunity of striking a nuclear blow on Iran. Bush’s intention has to face serious opposition both in the political and in the military establishment of the USA. Many senior officers said they would send in their resignations if Bush’s plans to attack Iran were meant to come true.
Senator Bill Frist, visiting Moscow, commented on the publications in the American media. The senator said during a press conference that the media was exaggerating the information about the use of military power in Iran. However, the official added that Iran had violated the non-proliferation treaty and conducted secret nuclear research for 20 years.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has released more emotional remarks in response to the imminent attack of Iran. The official said that the above-mentioned articles in Washington Post and New Yorker could be only described as delirious publications. Straw said that no one was going to bomb Iran and use nuclear weapons for it. Nevertheless, the Financial Times wrote that such remarks were very typical of Mr. Straw. Prime Minister Tony Blair has never released such a statement to reject any possibility of the bombing of Iran. The Financial Times concluded that that there could be a conflict between the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister of Great Britain as regards to the Iranian nuclear program.
Iran has not had any distinctive reaction to the above-mentioned statements yet. The Vice President of Iran said that the country had achieved bigger progress in the field of atomic energy and promised to expose the information on the matter in the next couple of days. The vice president emphasized that Iran was still determined to cooperate with the IAEA, Teheran-based news agency IRNA reports.
The Iranian administration is apparently used to dealing with a variety of plans to strike Iran on a monthly basis. Iran perceives such news as an element of pressure on the part of the US administration. It is worthy of note that Iran takes quite an active part in the ideological standoff. Last week, for example, Iran held a sensational military exercise to demonstrate its missiles, superfast torpedoes and invisible vessels.
One may not say that the military power of Iran has had quite an impression on the USA. However, the articles in Washington Post and New Yorker appeared timely afterwards, just two days after the maneuvers in Iran ended.
Oleg Artyukov
Pravda.Ru
Translated by Dmitry Sudakov
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