Tehran Threatens Israelis of Devastating Strike

Mohamad Noun     Al-Hayat     2003/09/23

Tehran

Iran exhibited six 'Shahab-3' missiles that can reach Israel, while the Chief of the Iranian Air Force, General Reza Bardis delivered a strongly worded warning to Tel Aviv, warning Israel against attacking the Iranian nuclear reactors.   

Answering Al-Hayat's question yesterday about the possibility of Israel bombing Bushahr's nuclear reactor in Southern Iran, he said: "We are aware that Israel will not commit such mistake or set out to this adventure, because the response it will get from the Air Force and the Iranian armed forces will be strong and harsh, to the point that it will not be able to rise again for a long time." He added: "Israel knows the extent of our power, and if it sets out on such an adventure, we have a ready plan which we will execute in response to any attack."

The Iranian Air Force leader's message came during a military parade marking the anniversary of the Iraq-Iran war, at a time when Tehran is coming under severe American pressure and Israeli threats regarding the Iranian nuclear reactor.

Iranian President Mohamad Khatami reasserted his objection to these pressures, when he confirmed Iran's right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, and not for producing nuclear weapons. Khatami invited those causing havoc around Iran's nuclear reactor to stop doing so, saying that this clamor would not deflect Iran from proceeding in the policy of peace and progress. He assaulted "Israel, its nuclear weapons, its terror in Palestine and the American support it is getting." He insisted that Iran's military policy is a defensive one, and that the Iranian armed forces "are ready to defend Iran from any threat, and they are from the defenders of peace and stability in the region."

Khatami called upon the American and Britain coalition forces to withdraw from Iraq. He said: "I advise the occupation forces to withdraw from Iraq and hand the power over to the Iraqi people. In case they do not accept the advice, all the region's countries will help achieving stability in this country."

The army Chief of Staff, General Ali Salimi, confirmed to Al-Hayat that he does not exclude the possibility of a confrontation with the U.S. in the future. He said: "We call upon the American forces to withdraw from Iraq because their presence there represents a security concern to us." He added: "We have massed our troops along the borders with Iraq, since any kind of insecurity or instability there can affect Iran."

The military parade featured the exhibition of six 'Shahab-3' middle-range missiles after they were put in effective military service. It is known that the Iranian missile is a reproduction of the Korean Nodong 1. It was modified in accordance to Russian technology, and its range can reach 1,300 km.