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Iran to target NATO sites in Turkey if attacked
Saturday Nov 26, 2011 14:21:41 EST
TEHRAN, Iran Iran will target NATOs missile defense installations in Turkey if the U.S. or Israel attacks the Islamic Republic, a senior commander of Irans powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saturday.
Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guards aerospace division, said the warning is part of a new defense strategy to counter what he described as an increase in threats from the U.S. and Israel.
Tensions have been rising between Iran and the West since the release of a report earlier this month by the International Atomic Energy Agency that said for the first time that Tehran was suspected of conducting secret experiments whose sole purpose was the development of nuclear arms.
The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of trying to produce atomic weapons, and Israel, which views Tehran as an existential threat, has warned of a possible strike on Irans nuclear program. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes.
Should we be threatened, we will target NATOs missile defense shield in Turkey and then hit the next targets, the semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted Hajizadeh as saying.
Tehran says NATOs early warning radar station in Turkey is meant to protect Israel against Iranian missile attacks if a war breaks out with the Jewish state. Ankara agreed to host the radar in September as part of NATOs missile defense system aimed at countering ballistic missile threats from neighboring Iran.
A military installation in the Turkish town of Kurecik, some 435 miles west of the Iranian border, has been designated as the radar site, according to Turkish government officials.
Hajizadeh said the United States also plans to install similar stations in Arab states, which has spurred Iran to alter its military defense strategy.
Based on orders from the exalted commander in chief, we will respond to threats with threats, he was quoted as saying.
Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, is also commander in chief of Irans armed forces.
Another senior Guard commander, Yadollah Javani, threatened that Tehran will target Israels nuclear facilities should the Jewish state attack Iran.
If Israel fires a missile at our nuclear facilities or vital installations, it should know that Israels nuclear centers will be the target of our missiles, the semiofficial ISNA news agency quoted him as saying.
Also Saturday, the chief of Irans elite Quds Force said he doesnt fear assassination and is ready for martyrdom.
The comments by Quds Force commander Brig. Gen. Ghassem Soleimani were published in several Iranian newspapers. The Quds Force is the special foreign operations unit of the countrys powerful Revolutionary Guard, and Soleimani is a key figure in Irans military establishment but rarely speaks in public.
Tensions have increased in recent weeks between Iran and the U.S., with several American neoconservatives urging the Obama administration to use covert action against Iran and kill some of its top officials, including Soleimani.
The force has been accused by the Americans of involvement in an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington. Two men, including an alleged member of Irans Quds Force, have been charged in New York federal court in the case.
Iran has dismissed the American claims as a foolish plot, saying U.S. officials have offered no proof.
Iran to target NATO sites in Turkey if attacked - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times