Talk of attacking Iran escalates tensions
Statements by US and Israeli officials in recent days on the possibility of attacking Iran have been met with increased posturing on both sides, warnings of retaliation from Tehran, and worries by the head of the international nuclear watchdog of a "brewing confrontation."
Appearing on CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I) of Connecticut to keep them from training and supplying insurgents and foreign fighters in Iraq, as well as to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Senator Lieberman, a former Democrat who lost his party's support before regaining his seat in Congress as an Independent, also said that if the US fails to take action against Iran, "they'll take that as a sign of weakness on our part and we will pay for it in Iraq and throughout the region and ultimately right here at home."
听The Financial Times notes that Lieberman appears to be the first high-ranking US politician to . A White House statement addressing Lieberman's remarks said that the US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker gave Iran a "strong message" to play a constructive role in the region during meetings last month on Iraq, and that President Bush "has made it clear we want to do everything to protect our troops," according to the Financial Times.
In an interview with the Center For American Progress, a progressive think tank, Senator Harry Reid (D) of Nevada said of Lieberman's comments, "I know Joe means well, ." Reid suggested the US should listen to the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group and pursue diplomacy with Iraq, adding that "the invasion of [Iran] is only going to destabilize that part of the world more."
听Reuters writes that Lieberman's comments are seen by analysts as an "."
Over the weekend, Israel officials indicated that a strike against Iran was an option being considered if diplomacy fails. The Associated Press reports that Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz said the US and Israel would review the effectiveness of sanctions against Iran at the end of the year, and that the on dealing with Tehran.
听Ynetnews reports that to the UN Security Council of Mofaz's remarks, as well as similar remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in which he said "it would take 10 days and 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles" to critically damage Iran's nuclear program.
According to the Jerusalem Post, unnamed "senior American military officers" told the paper that against Iran to prevent the country from becoming a nuclear power, and that the US Navy and Air Force "would play the primary roles in any military action."
Meanwhile, Iran has not let the increasingly hostile posturing by Israel and the US go unnoticed. Agence France-Presse reports that Gholam Ali Hadad Adel, a member of Iran's parliament, told reporters during a visit to Kuwait on Sunday that if they were used to stage an attack on the country. Mr. Haddad Adel added that Iran's neighbors in the Gulf had "learned many lessons from the US invasion of Iraq," and that "officials in the region are not likely to link their fate with US mistakes" by allowing them to stage attacks in their countries. In a report on Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency, Haddad Adel, after returning to Iran, added that "."
听AFP also reports that Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah, the interior and defense minister of Kuwait, a US ally, said his country on Iran from Kuwaiti territory..
The US journal Defense News reported that former Iranian defense minister Adm. Ali Shamkhani indicated that that help US in such a way.
However, in a report by the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA), Mr. Shamkhani said that he never gave an interview with Defense News, and that "."
Finally, Bloomberg reports that IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said on Monday that he is "" between Iran and the West over its nuclear program, adding the situation "urgently needs to be broken" and "must be diffused."
