The nation's top military officer said today that the Pentagon is planning for "potential military courses of action" against Iran [1], criticizing what he called the Tehran government's "increasingly lethal and malign influence" in Iraq [2].

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a conflict with Iran would be "extremely stressing" but not impossible for U.S. forces, pointing specifically to reserve capabilities in the Navy and Air Force.

"It would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability," he said at a Pentagon news conference.