'Strike on Iran to trigger global terror'
Iran would retaliate with a wave of global terror if its nuclear facilities are attacked by the West, British newspaper Sunday Times reports. American experts estimate Muslim republic will strike American targets in U.S., around the world in response to such attack
Iran has formed battalions of suicide bombers to strike at British and American targets if the nation’s nuclear sites are attacked, British newspaper The Sunday Times reprted. The paper quoted Iranian officials who stated that 40,000 trained suicide bombers are ready for action.
The Times has obtained a tape recording of Dr. Hassan Abbasi, head of the Center for Doctrinal Strategic Studies in the Revolutionary Guards, in which he says in a speech that 29 western targets had been identified: “We are ready to attack American and British sensitive points if they attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.” Abbasi added that some of the targets were “quite close” to the Iranian border in Iraq.
In the tape, Abbasi also warned the would-be martyrs to “pay close attention to wily England” and vowed that “Britain’s demise is on our agenda”.
American experts share concerns regarding Iran's potential response to a strike against its nuclear facilities. Richard Clarke, national coordinator for security and counterterrorism during the Clinton and Bush administrations, and Steven Simon, senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, published an article in The New York Times in which they refer to the possible steps the Muslim republic is expected to take in case of such strike.
'Iran's force superior to al-Qaeda's'
According to Clarke and Simon, Iran could respond in three ways. First, the country could attack Persian Gulf oil facilities and tankers — as it did in the mid-1980's — which could cause oil prices to soar above USD 80 dollars a barrel.
Second, and according to the American experts - more likely, Iran could use its terrorist network to strike American targets around the world, including inside the United States.
Third, Clarke and Simon wrote, Iran is in a position to make the United States' situation in Iraq far more difficult than it already is. "The Badr Brigade and other Shiite militias in Iraq could launch a more deadly campaign against British and American troops," they stated.
Clarke and Simon believe that the second option is the most probable one. "Iran has forces at its command that are far superior to anything al-Qaeda was ever able to field. The Lebanese terrorist organization Hizbullah has a global reach, and has served in the past as an instrument of Iran," they wrote.
The two also warned that an American strike in Iran is likely to guarantee the regime decades more of control.
In the conclusion of their article, Clarke and Simon stated that no one has thus far been able to provide a persuasive answer for the question of how an attack on Iran will serve American interests. They however stressed that "the current level of activity in the Pentagon suggests more than just standard contingency planning or tactical saber-rattling."
