Official says Iran will destroy heart of Israel if attacked
Assistant to Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei threatens that 'smallest move' against Islamic Republic over its disputed nuclear program will prompt missile attack on Jewish state, 32 US bases in Middle East 'before the dust from the US missile settles'
Iran will destroy the heart of Israel and 32 American military bases in the Middle East if the Islamic Republic is attacked over its disputed nuclear program, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying on Saturday.
"The US knows full well that with the smallest move against Iran, Israel and 32 US military bases in the region would not be out of the reach of our missiles and would be destroyed," the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted Mojtaba Zolnour as saying.
"The capability of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to the extent that if the US fires a missile, Iran would be able to destroy Israel and US military bases in the region with its missiles before the dust from the US missile settles," he said.
Zolnour is the deputy of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's representative in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards.
According to the official, "Iran's armed forces and Revolutionary Guards are fully prepared in the face of the enemies' current threats, and if the enemies are thinking of attacking Iran, Iran's armed forces will retaliate with a crushing response."
Zolnour spoke during a ceremony in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad. He stressed that today, as opposed to the situation during the Iran-Iraq War, the military power of his country's army is stronger.
The comments came days after Iranian missile tests, which included one missile Iran says could reach Israel and US bases in the region.
Israel staged an air force exercise last month that stoked speculation about a possible assault on Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil exporter, has vowed to strike back at the Jewish state, US Interests and shipping in the region if it is attacked, threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, conduit for about 40% of globally traded oil.
Iran says its nuclear projects are aimed only at generating electricity. Western nations and Israel fear the Islamic Republic is seeking to build bombs.
Washington has said it wants diplomacy to end the row but has not ruled out military action should that fail. Israel has sworn to prevent Iran from emerging as a nuclear-armed power.
