SWORD SHAKING CONTINUES IN MIDDLE EAST
February 13, 2006
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
The United States is apparently determined to show Iran the degree of seriousness with which it regards the development of a nuclear warhead by Iran.
The threat by the U.S. is designed to get Iran to allow the UN inspectors back into the country to monitor the Iranian facilities.
The three articles that follow were taken from the Jerusalem Center Daily Alert. Their sources are listed at the end of each article, all three coming from United Kingdom sources.
BEGIN THREE ARTICLES
U.S. Prepares Military Blitz Against Iran’s Nuclear Sites – Philip Sherwell
Strategists at the Pentagon are drawing up plans for devastating bombing raids backed by submarine-launched ballistic missile attacks against Iran’s nuclear sites as a “last resort” to block Teheran’s efforts to develop an atomic bomb.
Central Command and Strategic Command planners are identifying targets, assessing weapon-loads, and working on logistics for an operation to thwart the Islamic republic’s nuclear bomb ambitions.
“This is more than just the standard military contingency assessment,” said a senior Pentagon adviser. “This has taken on much greater urgency in recent months.” “There is only one thing worse than the United States exercising a military option and that is a nuclear-armed Iran,” Sen. John McCain said recently.
(Sunday Telegraph-UK)
See also Pentagon Plans to Derail Iranian Atomic Bomb Test – Philip Sherwell
Iran has drawn up designs for a deep underground tunnel with remote-controlled heat and pressure sensors as part of what Western intelligence offici als
believe are preparations for a secret atomic test.
Richard Perle, a senior defense official at the time of the Iraq war, said that 12 B2 bombers, each carrying dozens of precision-guided weapons, could deliver a serious blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Perle and Dan Goure, vice-president of the Lexington Institute defense think-tank, believe America is better equipped to carry out the attacks than Israel. (Sunday Telegraph-UK)
Iran Is Prepared to Retaliate, Experts Warn – Bryan Bender
Iran is prepared to launch attacks using long-range missiles, secret commando units, and terrorist allies planted around the globe in retaliation for any strike on the country’s nuclear facilities, according to new U.S. intelligence assessments. Obtained with the assistance of North Korea, Shahab 3 long-range missiles could be tipped with chemical warheads and strike Israel and U.S. military bases in the region. Iran is believed to have at least 20 launchers that are frequently moved around the country to avoid detection.
Iran purchased at least a dozen X-55 cruise missiles from Ukraine in 2001 that are capable of carrying a nuclear warhead as far as Italy.
Intelligence officials also point out that Iran controls a small island at the mouth the Strait of Hormuz and could use missiles and gunboats to temporarily shut off access to the economically vital Persian Gulf, sparking an oil crisis. (Boston Globe)
See also Thousands Would Die in U.S. Strikes on Iran, Says Study – Ewen MacAskill
A report, “Iran: Consequences of a War,” written by Professor Paul Rogers and published Monday by the Oxford Research Group, says attacks on Iranian facilities, most of which are in densely populated areas, would be surprise ones, allowing no time for evacuations or other precautions. Rogers, of the University of Bradford’s peace studies department, says: “A military operation against Iran would not…be a short-term matter but would set in motion a complex and long-lasting confrontation.” (Guardian-UK)
END THREE ARTICLES
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