Iran: No confrontation with US, Israel
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Iran's former Revolutionary Guards
commander Mohsen Rezaie has ruled out any military confrontation with the
United States and Israel but has warned that his country has the capability
to retaliate to any missile strike by the Jewish state.
Speaking in an interview with the London-based Al Hayat newspaper today,
Rezaie said: ``I rule out any military confrontation. Moreover, the international
and regional circumstances do not allow them to think about it.''
He cited the Iraq case, arguing that despite the international resolutions,
the United States has failed to win support even for the airstrikes that
aim at the destruction of the Iraqi bacteriological and chemical weapons.
He said, ``If this is the way with Iraq, so how could they launch a
war against Iran.''
Asked if the United States and Israel might launch airstrikes that would
target Iran's nuclear installations and other strategic positions, Rezaie
said, ``I don't think so although we have made preparations to defend ourselves.''
But he warned: ``If Israel directs one missile against our territories,
we will retaliate with 10 missiles. We have the capability of making such
a retaliation and they are aware of this. Therefore, we don't think that
they are considering any military confrontation with us.''
Rezaie noted that the United States has recently eased its ``enemy activities''
against Iran, but the ``Zionists continue to harm our relations with friendly
states in the region and are trying to disturb the internal situation in
Iran.''
He said Washington feared Iran's influence in central Asia following
the collapse of the Soviet Union ``so they were quick in finding the Taliban
issue in Afghanistan...then pushed for an alliance between Israel and Turkey
directed against Iran.''
He added that the United States also fears any rapprochement between
Iran and the Gulf states and pushed its fleets into the region to confront
what it believes was ``a real danger on them.''
Rezaie said the Iranian armed forces have scored ``a big progress''
since the success of the Islamic Revolution in 1978, noting that Iran is
now producing tanks and armored personnel carriers and ``will be a good
arms supplier source for its friends in the Arab and Muslim worlds.''
He added: ``We are ready to supply them with the weapons they wish without
any restrictions.''
Links
