"Glorious Spartan 08", Aye.
Return with your ****elds or upon them...
DSH
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
Vires et Honor
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'Ball of fire' if Iran attacked: IAEA chief
Jun 21, 2008
AFP
The UN atomic watchdog chief warned on Saturday that an attack
on Iran over its controversial nuclear programme would turn the region
into
a fireball, as Tehran rejected an Israeli strike as "impossible."
Mohamed ElBaradei also warned that he would not be able to
continue in his role as International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director
general should the Islamic republic be attacked.
If we could only get rid of him now. -- DSH
His stark comments came as Iran stressed yet again that it
will
not negotiate with world powers over its nuclear programme if it is
required
to suspend its controversial uranium enrichment.
"A military strike (against Iran) would in my opinion be worse
than anything else ... It would transform the Middle East region into a
ball
of fire," ElBaradei said in an interview with Al-Arabiya television.
A re****t by the New York Times on Friday cited US officials as
saying a major Israeli military exercise earlier this month seemed to be a
practice for any potential strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.
In Athens, an official with the Greek air force's central
command confirmed the substance of the US media re****t, stating that it
had
taken part in "joint training exercises" with Israel off the Mediterranean
island of Crete.
The manoeuvres, code-named "Glorious Spartan 08," took place
on
May 28 and June 12, and consisted of aerial exercises and knowledge
exchange, said the Greek source, who requested anonymity.
The goal was for more than 100 Israeli F-16 and F-15 fighter
jets to prepare for long-range strikes and demonstrate Israel's serious
concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions, the Times re****ted.
But ElBaradei said any attack would simply harden Iran's
position in its row with the West over its nuclear programme.
"A military strike would spark the launch of an emergency
programme to make atomic weapons, with the sup****t of all Iranians,
including those living abroad," he said.
He did not believe that there was an "imminent risk" of
proliferation given the current status of Iran's nuclear programme and
made
it clear he would "not have a place" as IAEA head in the event of a
military
strike.
The West fears that Tehran could use uranium enrichment to
make
an atomic bomb although Tehran insists it only wants nuclear technology
for
peaceful energy purposes.
ElBaradei's comments come as Iran stressed on Saturday it will
not negotiate with world powers over its nuclear programme if it is
required
to suspend its enrichment activities.
"Suspending uranium enrichment has no logic behind it and it
is
not acceptable and the continuation of negotiation will not be based on
suspension," Iranian government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham told
re****ters.
He responded to talk of a military strike by saying "such
impudence and audacity to have an aggression against our national interest
and integrity is an impossible action."
For his part, Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar
Soltanieh, said Tehran would "continue uranium enrichment non-stop since
this activity is under the 24 hour surveillance (of IAEA cameras).
"The request to stop uranium enrichment is an old issue and
does
not have any legal or technical foundation," he added.
In Jerusalem, the Israeli parliament foreign affairs and
defence
commission chairman Tsahi Hanegbi said Saturday that Western diplomatic
efforts to halt Iran's nuclear programme had failed.
"Next year and the year after that will be crucial. The world
must decide if it gives more time to diplomatic efforts, which currently
do
not seem very promising," he told Israeli public radio.
"Western measures against Iran's nuclear programme have
failed."
On June 6 an Israeli Deputy Prime Minister, Shaul Mofaz,
warned
that Iran would face attack if it pursues what he said was its nuclear
weapons programme.
A week ago, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana
presented a new offer to Mottaki on ending the six-year standoff over
Iran's
nuclear drive, offering economic and trade incentives. Iran is still
considering the plan.
It was made on behalf of Britain, China, France, Germany,
Russia
and the United States.
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