Iran warns against 'surprise attack'

Tue, 12 Aug 2008

Iran's Defense Minister Mohammad-Najjar has warned that its response to a surprise enemy attack would be a greater surprise for the aggressor. He said Iran has developed an extensive defense force to repel any possible attack, adding the Islamic Republic is currently a major defensive power.

Najjar said the armed forces have mass-produced a range of advanced defensive equipment including a radar-evading warship and an unmanned mid-jet submarine as well as a high-tech naval weapons system capable of targeting any warship within a range of 300 kilometers from its shores.

He added that Iran's newly-developed strategic products have considerably increased the country's naval capabilities. Najjar comments follow reports about an armada of US naval battle groups heading toward the Persian Gulf with the aim of reinforcing US strike forces in the region.

On Monday, DEBKAfiles, a source close to Israeli intelligence agency, reported that the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the USS Ronald Reagan, and the USS Iwo Jima are sailing toward the Persian Gulf accompanied by a British Royal Navy carrier battle group and a French nuclear hunter-killer submarine. The deployment is believed to be the largest naval task force assembled by the United States and its allies in the region since the 1991 Persian Gulf war. The move comes almost a week after Operation Brimstone, which was conducted by the US, British and French naval forces in the Atlantic Ocean.

The 12 warships taking part in the war games were apparently, preparing for a possible attack against Iran. Washington and its allies have threatened to take military action against Iran if it does not give up the right that international law has bestowed on all NPT signatories to enrichment uranium as part of a civilian nuclear program. Tehran, however, has refused to give into pressure. In response to the threats, Iran has further enhanced its defensive power by conducting several maneuvers and testing new homemade weaponry. “The maneuvers that have been carried out recently are held one after another to keep our armed forces prepared and strong. Fortunately, these exercises have shown our great defensive capabilities to the world,” concluded the Iranian defense minister. (Source)