gold could have iran 24 hour bombing

US denies 24-hour bombing plan for Iran

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New York
February 26, 2007
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DESPITE the Bush Administration insisting that it does not intend to go to war with Iran, a Pentagon panel has been created to plan a bombing attack that could be implemented within 24 hours of getting the go-ahead from President George Bush.

The special planning group was established in the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in recent months, according to an unidentified former US intelligence official cited in the latest issue of The New Yorker magazine by investigative reporter Seymour Hersh.

The panel initially focused on destroying Iran's nuclear facilities and on regime change but has more recently been directed to identify targets in Iran that may be involved in supplying or aiding militants in Iraq, according to an air force adviser and a Pentagon consultant, who were not identified.

The consultant and a former senior intelligence official said that US military and special-operations teams had crossed the border from Iraq into Iran in pursuit of Iranian operatives.

In response to the report, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said: "The United States is not planning to go to war with Iran. To suggest anything to the contrary is simply wrong, misleading and mischievous.

"The United States has been very clear with respect to its concerns regarding specific Iranian Government activities. The President has repeatedly stated publicly that this country is going to work with allies in the region to address those concerns through diplomatic efforts," Mr Whitman said.

Pentagon officials say they maintain contingency plans for literally dozens of potential conflicts around the world and that all plans are subject to regular and ongoing review.

The article, citing unnamed current and former US officials, also said the Bush Administration received intelligence from Israel that Iran had developed an intercontinental missile capable of delivering several small warheads that could reach Europe.

It added the validity of that intelligence was still being debated.

The article also included an interview conducted in December with Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah, who said that while he had no interest in initiating another war with Israel, he was anticipating and preparing for another Israeli attack sometime this year.

Sheikh Nasrallah also said he was open to talks with Washington if such discussions "can be useful and influential in determining American policy in the region," but they would be largely a waste of time if the purpose was to impose policy.

■ Israel is negotiating with the US for permission to fly over Iraq as part of a plan to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, a British newspaper has reported.

To conduct air strikes against Iran's nuclear program, Israeli warplanes would need to fly across Iraq.

But to do so, military authorities in Tel Aviv need permission from the Pentagon.

A senior Israeli defence official said negotiations were under way for the US-led coalition in Iraq to provide an "air corridor" if Israel decided on unilateral military action. REUTERS, TELEGRAPH