US general: We have contingency plan for Iran
General David Petraeus tells CNN US military ready for day diplomatic efforts against Iranian nuclear program fail, says Iranian facilities 'certainly can be bombed'
The United States has prepared detailed contingency plans for dealing with the Iranian nuclear program, should negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the West fail, a top US general told CNN.
General David Petraeus said in an interview to be broadcast Sunday: "It would be almost literally irresponsible if CENTCOM were not to have been thinking about the various 'what ifs' and to make plans for a whole variety of different contingencies."
CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour asked Petraeus about rumors that Israel may attack Iran's nuclear facilities, but the general declined to comment about Israel's military capabilities.
When asked about reports that Iran had successfully strengthened its nuclear facilities, Petraeus said that while some of them were underground, they could still be bombed and significantly damaged.
"They certainly can be bombed," he said. "The level of effect would vary with who it is that carries it out, what ordnance they have, and what capability they can bring to bear."
The general added that he believes it will be some time before the US decided to execute its contingency plans, and that for the time being, diplomatic efforts will continue.
He said the American military does not have a time limit or a deadline, and that the contingency plans could be executed at any time.
'Strike could be destabilizing'
Last week, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned that a strike on Iran could be "very, very destabilizing" and have unintended consequences for the Middle East, adding that diplomacy was crucial.
Mullen said he believed Tehran was "on a path that has strategic intent to develop nuclear weapons and have been for some time" – a charge Iran denies.
"I think that outcome is potentially a very, very destabilizing outcome… on the other hand, when asked about striking Iran, specifically, that also has a very, very destabilizing outcome," he said.
Mullen said he worried about "unintended consequences" of either scenario, adding "that part of the world could become much more unstable, which is a dangerous global outcome."
