The New York Times on Friday cited US officials as saying that a major Israeli military exercise over Greece earlier this month appeared to be a dry run for a potential strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.

"It seems that a series of psychological operations have been taken to intimidate the Islamic republic and force it to renounce its absolute and legitimate right" to nuclear power, Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najar said.

"But Iran will not be intimidated by these threats and will not renounce its right," he added, quoted by the Fars news agency.

The United States and its ally Israel fear that Iran could use its programme of uranium enrichment to make an atomic weapon, and have never explicitly ruled out launching a military strike against it.

An official with the Greek air force's central command confirmed the substance of the report, stating that it had taken part in "joint training exercises" with Israel off the Mediterranean island of Crete.

"Iran will not begin any conflict but will punish any aggressor with force. With determination and using all the options -- without limit in time and space -- we will give a destructive response to any hostile action," Najar said.

His comments came after the UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei warned on Saturday that an attack on Iran would turn the region into a "ball of fire."

Israeli parliament foreign affairs and defence committee chairman Tsahi Hanegbi said on Saturday that Western diplomatic efforts to halt Iran's nuclear programme had failed and "next year and the year after that will be crucial."

Tehran vehemently denies charges that it wants to develop a nuclear weapon, saying it wants atomic energy only for a growing population whose fossil fuels will eventually run out.

earlier related report
'Ball of fire' if Iran attacked: IAEA chief
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 any 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 if the Islamic republic were attacked.

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 report 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 report, 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 reported.

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 support 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 reporters.

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 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.

Referring to that offer, Iranian negotiator Said Jalili said Tehran was prepared to discuss it and a set of Iranian proposals to solve the problems of the world.

But he reiterated that Iran "will not accept under duress any illegal demand aiming to deprive it of its right to pursue its peaceful nuclear activities."

earlier related report
US still favors diplomacy to settle Iran nuclear issue: envoy
The US ambassador to the UN said Friday said Washington favored diplomacy in the Iranian nuclear crisis for now despite reports of Israeli preparations for a possible air strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

"We're in the phase of diplomacy, we want a diplomatic settlement of this issue," Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters when asked to react to media reports that recent military exercises by the Jewish state were a possible practice for a strike against Iran.

"I saw the article in paper today," Khalilzad said. "You know our view with regard to Iran, which is that it would be unacceptable for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons."

"Right now we are in the phase of diplomacy, that's what we are pushing for, we want a diplomatic solution to this problem. The ball is frankly in Iran's court," he added.

The New York Times Friday quoted US officials as saying that a major military exercise carried out by Israel earlier this month seemed to be a practice for any potential strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.

US President George W. Bush, who was not expected to respond publicly to the news report, said repeatedly on his just-completed trip to Europe that he prefers a diplomatic solution but has not ruled out using force.

At the State Department in Washington, spokesman Sean McCormack said that it was not yet at "the point that Iran and this regime have changed its behavior."

US officials "are hopeful that there are those reasonable officials within the Iranian government who will see that continuing on the course that they are on -- continuing their enrichment and reprocessing-related activities -- in the face of the demands of the international community," McCormack said.

It was "not a good road for the Iranian government to go down, because they will continue to incur greater and greater costs as a result of actions by the international community," he said.

A Pentagon official briefed on the exercise said a goal of the practice was to send a message that the Jewish state was prepared to act militarily if diplomatic efforts failed to halt Tehran's production of bomb-grade uranium.

But Iran warned its arch-enemy Israel Friday of a "strong blow" if it resorts to force.

"If enemies especially Israelis and their supporters in the United States would want to use a language of force, they should rest assured that they will receive a strong blow in the mouth," senior cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said in his Friday prayers sermon.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News