PRESS RELEASE
General Ivashov:
U.S. Continuing To Prepare for Attack on Iran
April 9, 2007 (EIRNS)—The United States has not given up plans to attack Iran militarily, warned Gen. Leonid Ivashov, former head of the Russian Defense Ministry's foreign relations department, and now president of the Academy for Geopolitical Problems. "Preparations to strike Iran's strategic facilities continue. Three major groups of U.S. forces are still in the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf. Altogether, they have up to 450 cruise missiles on alert," Ivashov told Interfax-AVN.
"Military operations against Tehran will begin with the launch of at least two unexpected strikes using Tomahawk cruise missiles and air power in order to disable Iran's air defense capabilities," he said. "According to our data, up to 150 aircraft are to be involved in each strike on Iran. Land-based air defense systems will be disabled in the first place, then mobile short-range systems, which Tehran has (including some 30 new systems)," Ivashov stated, adding that the primary targets will include command centers, air defense installations, the navy, airfields, ports and docking facilities.
"Nuclear facilities may be secondary targets. According to expert assessments, at least 20 such facilities need to be destroyed in order to stop Iran's nuclear program," Ivashov said. Ivashov did not rule out that nuclear weapons may be used against Iran, either by the United States, or by Israel, if Iran strikes back at Israel.
