Iran Vows Retaliation If Israel Attacks

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TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said yesterday that his country’s Revolutionary Guards would strongly and immediately respond to any Israeli attack.

“If the Zionist regime commits such stupidity, the response by the Iranian military will be swift, strong, and crushing,” Mohammed Ali Hosseini said. “Iran will take no longer than a second to respond.”

Israeli officials have commented recently that their country’s military would consider bombing Iranian nuclear facilities to thwart what it has described as an Iranian nuclear weapons program. Iran says its nuclear plans aim to generate electricity.

Israel bombed Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981 to destroy Saddam Hussein’s nuclear weapons program. While Israel neither acknowledges nor denies possessing nuclear arms, it is thought to have between 100 and 200 nuclear warheads, according to a 2006 report by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California.

Mr. Hosseini downplayed the possibility of such an attack, saying Israeli bluster stemmed from the current government’s “very fragile” political situation.

“The situation and capability of the Zionist regime are far too small to threaten Iran,” Mr. Hosseini said. He also said Iran is taking more steps to increase uranium production.

In October, Iran stepped up uranium enrichment, producing a small batch of low-enriched uranium, suitable as nuclear fuel but not weapons grade, in February.


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