Iran
Warns Israel Of Retaliation
If Attacked
By Aljazeera
27July 2004
Aljazeera
Iran
responds to regional and Israeli threats of attack by vowing to wipe
Israel "off the face of the earth" if it attacks the Islamic
Republic's nuclear facilities.
"The United
States is showing off by threatening to use its wild dog, Israel,"
the public relations head of the Revolutionary Guards, Commander Seyed
Masood Jazayeri, was quoted as saying by the Iranian student news agency
ISNA.
"They will
not hesitate to strike Iran if they are capable of it. However, their
threats to attack Iran's nuclear facilities cannot be realised. They
are aware Tehran's reaction will be so harsh that Israel will be wiped
off the face of the earth and US interests will be easily damaged,"
he warned.
The commander asserted
that Iran would not initiate a conflict, but in retaliation to any attack
has proved itself to be "harsh, assertive, hard-hitting and destructive."
Iran's effort to
generate nuclear power is seen by Israel and the US as a cover for nuclear
weapons development, allegations that Iran denies.
Iraqi threats
Meanwhile, US-appointed
interim Iraqi Defence Minister Hazim al-Shaalan warned of invading Iran
if it did not stop interfering in his country's internal politics.
"I've seen
clear interference in Iraqi issues by Iran," the
minister said in
an interview with The Washington Post in Baghdad on Monday.
"Iran interferes
in order to kill democracy."
Al-Shaalan accused
Iran of taking over some Iraqi border posts and sending spies and saboteurs
into Iraq. He said former fighters in Afghanistan had been helped by
Iran to get into Iraq.
However, he did
not provide evidence supporting his claims.
Muhammad al-Shariati,
adviser to Iranian President Muhammad al-Khatami, told Aljazeera al-Shaalan's
statements were rejected and his government was waiting for "clarification
and correction" from the defence minister.
He said Iran sought
Iraq's stability and security and any border disputes should be discussed
peacefully between both parties.
In apparent reference
to The Washington Post, the Iranian adviser also accused "Western
media of hyping up" matters in the region.
Iran and Iraq were
bitter enemies during the eight-year war they fought in the 1980s.