Revolutionary Guards: Strike on Iran Would Trigger 'World War III'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Iran could launch a pre-emptive strike if Israel prepares to attack it, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander told broadcaster Al-Alam on Sunday, a day after his boss warned that conflict was inevitable.
Should Israel and Iran engage militarily, "nothing is predictable... and it will turn into World War III," Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh told Iran's Arabic-language television network.
Hajizadeh, who is in charge of Revolutionary Guards missile systems, said: "In circumstances in which they (the Israelis) have prepared everything for an attack, it is possible that we will make a pre-emptive attack. But we do not see this at the moment."
He added that Iran would deem any Israeli strike to be conducted with U.S. authorisation, so "whether the Zionist regime attacks with or without U.S. knowledge, then we will definitely attack U.S. bases in Bahrain, Qatar and Afghanistan."
He warned that Israel "cannot imagine our response -- and it will sustain heavy damage and that will be a prelude to its obliteration."
On Saturday, the head of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said war between Iran and Israel "will eventually happen, but it is not certain where and when."
It was the first time a senior Iranian official had acknowledged a probability of war breaking out between the two arch-foes.
Jafari, quoted by the ISNA and Fars news agencies, also said such a conflict would lead to the annihilation of Israel.
"If they begin (aggression), it will spell their destruction and will be the end of the story," he said.
On Sunday, Jafari's deputy, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, told Fars in an interview that Iran's "defensive strategy is based on the assumption that we will engage in a war, a massive battle against a global coalition led by the U.S."
He said the Islamic republic had made preparations to "crush" the enemy by hitting "enemy bases in the region, the security of the Zionist regime (Israel) and the energy market, as well as the lives of enemy forces."
He added: "We will not start a war. But if someone wages war against us, we will launch continuous offensives."
Tensions have risen significantly in recent weeks, with Israel threatening to unleash air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Israel believes Iran's nuclear program to be aimed at developing an atomic weapons capability that would menace its existence and its current status as the Middle East's sole, if undeclared, nuclear weapons power.
Iran insists that its atomic program is exclusively for peaceful, civilian ends, but it is locked in a deepening stand-off with the U.N. nuclear watchdog and the U.N. Security Council over the issue.
23 September 2012, 16:46
55
When they issue such a statement, they fear for themselves more than anything else. Words of intimidation will not work.
23 September 2012, 18:19
62
Assuming that Iran did try a pre-emptive attack on Israel :
1. Who is to say that their rockets would get through.
2. Everyone knows what Israels response wil be.
3. Everyone knows that even before the first Iranian rocket reaches Israel, rockets from the multi national ships in the Gulf would rule out a second wave of Iranian rockets.
If forget, when I said "everyone", I should have said "everyone except Iran"
23 September 2012, 18:58
85
"A strike on Iran would trigger a world war III", what a naïve comment. They really think they are a world power and nations are going to run for their rescue because Iran is economically and politically vital for all of them. Wake-up leaders of Iran; you are walking zeros. You are the scum of the earth. Nobody gives a damn if you got attacked. To the contrary; everyone will rejoice. This is not going to be a conventional war, these are going to be surgical operations against your nuclear sites; specific and targeted operations like the one that happened in Syria. It's going to happen in 15 min and it's all going to be over. So please shut-up and if you want to open your mouth, say something that makes sense.
23 September 2012, 21:49
85
While there maybe swore simplistic assumptions in hitech's comment, yours has even more nonsense.
- Russia has been distancing itself from Bashar
- Russia is opposed to a nuclear Iran on its doorstep. They do not want a Shiite version of the Chechens.
- China's biggest market is the West extremely unlikely they would engage in a WW3 with the West
- What does Russia have to gain by engaging in WW3 with the West over Iran? Oil, not likely as they have their own. In fact, eliminating Iran's oil from work markets for a while and having prices move higher is in their interest.
One can go and on, so please loose the "I know it all and you guys are a bunch of idiots" attitude so typical of Aoun and his followers.
24 September 2012, 16:53
01
LOL, you need to bring yourself up to date on the news.
- http://en.rian.ru/world/20120110/170695026.html
They are gone baby!
- Russia voted with all the sanctions against in the UN security counsel. You think because it agrees with nuclear Iran? I think NOT.
- Mostnwars started for a reason and the reason is almost always economic. There is no economic incentive for Russia to start WW3 especially not with the west where it can peddle its own oil in the Iran's oil is cut off.
Some logic and humility would do you well amigo.
24 September 2012, 16:54
01
That is with the sanctions and against Iran in the security counsel
23 September 2012, 19:12
84
Iran will be obliterated and the sooner the better enough barking threats and intimidations.
23 September 2012, 19:12
86
They are a regional demon that has overreached in their evil foreign policy in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon Syria, etc. They give themselves more importance than they have. They have already lost in Palestine, Syria is heading down, and Nassy is losing support in Lebanon.
Getting rid of this Iranian regime will just be the final battle in a regional headache. Russia and China will not risk nuclear war for Iran.
23 September 2012, 19:43
94
Why do you say that Israel is an enemy of Lebanon.
Read most of the reactions here and you will see that this is not the case.
Israel has no demands on Lebanon, and would very much like to live in peace and tranquility with its northern neighbour. The only problem existing between Lebanon and Israel is Hizballah, and this is a problem that Lebanon has to solve, both for its own safety and for that of its other neighbours.
23 September 2012, 21:41
101
@phillipo
Though some of us Lebanese feel Israel is not as big a direct threat to Lebanon as is HA, fact of the matter is Israel is no friend and has designs on our water and energy reserves in the Mediterranean sea. Also, let's not forget that those who feel that way about Israel have not forgotten that Israel's creation was at the illegal expense of Palestinians. Those who fled have been made into refugees, those under Israeli rule are treated as second class citizens at best.
So don't kid yourself into thinking that those opposing HA are automatically friends of Israel. We just believe that rather than employing armed means to address our grievances against Israel, we can employ our untapped multi talented reserves and compete with Israel economically, socially and many other levels.
We further believe that putting our solution forward requires calm and security something that HA's philosophy makes untenable.
23 September 2012, 20:05
83
Iran really thinks a lot of itself and is talking a lot these days making me believer that they are worried about something. It is sort of talking when someone is nervous or scared.
23 September 2012, 20:42
36
No need, an uprising is about to break out in iran followed by a revolution. Iranian people have had it ..... Sit back and watch
23 September 2012, 22:58
83
the lebanese gvt claims they are neutral concerning syria so i guess they will be towards any conflict with iran!
fpmers here keep telling that the syrian problems only concern the syrians, i guess they will have the same atttitude concerning iran!
oh! no i forgot the double M8 standards... and hezbis will engage lebanon in a conflict that has nothing to do with us with the benediction of FPM!
24 September 2012, 08:50
02
How could a third world war erupt when all the countries of the world are against Iran, save Russia, which doesn't have the power to initiate a war. This is an illusion. Iran should realise that it's playing with fire and putting all the gulf states in danger, Lebanon specifically. There are many deplomatic tricks that could lead Iran to peace; one is to dismantle Huzbullah and not tamper with Lebanon's security.
24 September 2012, 12:50
01
World population is increasing exponentially. Earth can't support all it's dwellers. ELITE groups ( controlling the World) sees that and a WWIII is a solution. Iran, Israel, US, China, Russia, EU, are neither EVIL nor GOOD. They are working toward their best interest. So all of u that knows everything. Please sit back and see the whole picture.
Why Iran want to eliminate isreal?
Why US supports Isreal?
Why Arabs are silent?
All because of their interests
