‘Iran ready to destabilize Gulf’

I was talking to some knowlegeable people today about Iran and the conversation dwelt on sanctions and the bomb. I changed the subject to Iran’s extention of hegemony. She appears to be successfully gaining influence without the bomb. I asked isn’t the issue to role Iran back or are we content to stop them from getting the bomb but allow them to take over the ME. That’s the real question. No doubt that if Iran gets the bomb, it will help spread their influence. No doubt if we get into negotiations and they are prepared (not likely) to forego the bomb, Iran will want more ME influence. Iran is already helping to push the US out of Afghanistan and Iraq. Iran is already in bed with Turkey etc.

A further problem is that all opposition parties in Iran also want the bomb so regime change doesn’t solve this issue. Ted Belman

JPost and Associated Press,

Revolutionary Guard deputy threatens harsh response to US attack.

Iran will make the Persian Gulf a war zone unsafe for all nations if the US attempts to attack its nuclear program, deputy head of the Revolutionary Guards Yadollah Javani told the official IRNA news agency on Sunday.

“If the American make the slightest mistake, the security of the region will be endangered. Security in the Persian Gulf should be for all or none,” Javani was quoted as saying to IRNA by AFP. He added,” We will defend ourselves if American or Israel resort to any hostile measures against our vital values.”

Javani’s statements came after the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on Sunday that the US military has a plan to attack Iran , although he added that he thought a strike was probably a bad idea.

Adm. Mike Mullen, the highest-ranking US military officer, has often warned that a military strike on Iran would have serious and unpredictable ripple effects around the Middle East . At the same time, he said the risk of Iran developing a nuclear weapon was unacceptable.

Mullen would not say which risk he thought was worse. But he told NBC television program “Meet The Press” that a military strike remains an option if need be.

He added that, should it come to that, the military has a plan at hand. He didn’t elaborate further.

Mullen said very directly in his February visit to Israel that he opposed Iran ‘s acquisition of a nuclear capability. However, he also warned Israel tellingly of the “unintended consequences” of a military strike.

During a press conference at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, Mullen said, “From a policy standpoint, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, [or] nuclear capability.”

He added, “I’ve also been clear, them getting a weapon and/or the outbreak of a conflict would be a big, big problem for all of us. And I worry a great deal about the unintended consequences of a strike, that are pretty hard to be specific about in a pretty volatile region that’s pretty hard to predict.”