US plans to attack Iran's military facilities, BBC says
British network reports US army's contingency plans for air strikes on Tehran extend beyond nuclear sites and include most of Islamic republic's military infrastructure
According to the report, any such attack would target Iranian air bases, naval bases, missile facilities and command-and-control centers.
US officials insist the country is not planning to attack, and is trying to persuade Tehran to stop uranium enrichment. The United Nations has urged Iran to halt its nuclear program or face economic sanctions.
Diplomatic sources, however, told the BBC that as a fallback plan, senior officials at Central Command in Florida have already selected their target sets inside Iran. According to the report, the list includes Iran's uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and facilities at Isfahan, Arak and Bushehr.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said the trigger for such an attack reportedly includes any confirmation that Iran was developing a nuclear weapon. Iranian officials have denied the claim that they are developing nuclear weapons, claiming that the nuclear plan was for civil purposes and for energy production.
Alternatively, he added, a high-casualty attack on US forces in Iraq could also trigger a bombing campaign if it were traced directly back to Tehran.
Long range B2 stealth bombers would drop so-called "bunker-busting" bombs in an effort to penetrate the Natanz site, which is buried some 25 meters (27 yards) underground.
Two possible triggers for an attack
The BBC's Tehran correspondent France Harrison said the news that there are now two possible triggers for an attack was a concern to Iranians. She added that authorities insisted there was no cause for alarm but ordinary people were now becoming a little worried.
Earlier this month, US officials said they had evidence Iran was providing weapons to Iraqi Shia militias. At the time, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the accusations were "excuses to prolong the stay" of US forces in Iraq, the BBC reported.
According to the report, Middle East analysts have recently voiced their fears of catastrophic consequences for any such US attack on Iran.
