US: Pentagon Iran remarks 'foolish'

Press TV
Wednesday, July 2, 2008

The State Department brands as 'foolish' comments by a Pentagon official who had said an Israeli attack against Iran was increasingly likely.

In an interview with ABC News, the unidentified defense official had said it was increasingly likely that Israel would attack Iran over its nuclear program. The pentagon official added that such a strike would lead to retaliation against Israel and the United States.

“I have no information that would substantiate that, and I think it's rather foolish of people who often have no clue what they're talking about to assert things and not even have the courtesy to do so on the basis of their name,” State Department spokesman Tom Casey said on Tuesday.

The defense official told ABC News one red line that could trigger an Israeli offensive would be when Iran's nuclear facility had produced enough enriched uranium to create an atomic weapon. That could happen in 2009 or later this year, ABC News reported, citing US and Israeli intelligence assessments.

The remarks by the Pentagon official followed last month's Israeli military maneuver in the Mediterranean, which US officials said was an apparent rehearsal for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Senior Iranian officials and high-ranking military commanders have promised that any attack on Iran would meet a very “devastating response”.

Iran has vehemently denied charges that it is seeking nuclear arms. Iran has signed the nuclear non-proliferation regime and its nuclear facilities are constantly monitored by the UN nuclear watchdog.

However, Israel is the only country in the Middle East which eludes to sign the NPT and is widely believed to have around 200 atomic warheads.
SOURCE: Press TV