AFP
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Iran's defence minister vowed Wednesday that the country's armed
forces would "crush" any military strike or threat,
the latest broadside in a standoff with the West over its nuclear
ambitions.
"The Islamic republic's armed forces are in a state of complete
readiness and are monitoring everything in order to give a crushing
response to even the smallest aggression or threat," Defence
Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar was quoted as saying by the ISNA
news agency.
Najjar also urged the administration of US President George W.
Bush to be "rational" with Iran, amid speculation that
Washington could be planning a strike on its nuclear installations.
"I advise Mr Bush and his advisors to be rational and think
about their own nation's interest," he said.
Najjar's remarks came a day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
delivered a defiant message to the United States, saying Washington
could not hurt Tehran by waging what he called a "psychological
war".
"They are not in a position to hurt us, they do not have
the power to do so, their pressure is mostly psychological,"
he said.
US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns
warned Tuesday that Washington would not allow Iran to "control"
the oil-rich Gulf and had sent two carrier battle groups to the
region in recent weeks.
Last month, the UN Security Council passed a resolution imposing
sanctions on Iran banning transfer of material and technology
to its nuclear and missile programmes over its refusal to suspend
uranium enrichment.
The West fears Iran's nuclear drive could be diverted to build
atomic weapons, a charge vehemently denied by Iran.
Email
