Iran threatens to hit Turkey if US, Israel attack

[Zorro]

Source: AP

Iran will target NATO's missile defense installations in Turkey if the U.S. or Israel attacks the Islamic Republic, a senior commander of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saturday.

Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guards' aerospace division, said the warning is part of a new defense strategy to counter what he described as an increase in threats from the U.S. and Israel.

Tensions have been rising between Iran and the West since the release of a report earlier this month by the International Atomic Energy Agency that said for the first time that Tehran was suspected of conducting secret experiments whose sole purpose was the development of nuclear arms.

The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of trying to produce atomic weapons, and Israel, which views Tehran as an existential threat, has warned of a possible strike on Iran's nuclear program. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-threatens-hit-turkey-us-israel-attack-153655802.html

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Threatening the Turks now. Not a particularly wise thing to do.

[Faygo Kid]

1. This is all nuts. Turkey would crush Iran, by the way. This is an empty threat.

The Turks are not known historically for kindness. They would obliterate Iran.

[mazzarro]

9. But Turkey has not been able to obliterate the rebel resistance it

has been fighting for ages. And you, as the Turkish spokesperson, can categorically tell what will occur if hostilities broke out in that area? Seems to me like you are yearning for something to happen!

[Faygo Kid]

18. You're also nuts. I am an honorary Armenian. And a realist.

I am the last person to be an apologist for the Turks. But I am a realist. They would indeed obliterate Iran. And I have marched against war for 50 years, so shove it.

[mazzarro]

19. Yeah right, Mr. honorary Armenian --- n/t

[octothorpe]

20. What exactly is an honorary Armenian and how do you become one?

[iandhr]

2. Israel wont attack Iran...

... at least not for the moment. If an attack was really imminent they would not be holding debates in the media. When they bombed the Syrian reactor a few years back and the Iraqi reactor in the 80s they went without discussion.

[_eh]

8. On the contrary

This is Bibi's "Get America Into The War For Free" card. All he has to do is strike a couple of Iranian sites, goading Iran into attacking Turkey. Then, under the provisions of the North Atlantic Treaty, the U.S. gets involved against Iran and once again does all the heavy lifting (and dying)!

[krucial]

22. Iran/Turkey

You sir,are correct.Too bad Americas warmongers seems to always fall for the bait,then they never learn that it is always easy to get into war,but more than difficult to get out.
they have not learned that lesson,and also they don't like to get out once they get in,because they will say they can not leave because of all the lives that was lost getting in would be in vain,then claim they have to have victory,and get us stuck into yet another quagmire.
The same thing over and over and over and over again

[Seedersandleechers]

3. Wouldn't that be like saying if Russia attacks

Alaska, then we're going to attack Canada? :shrug:

[47of74]

6. Or if Al-Qaida attacks us we'll attack Iraq...

...oh wait, that actually happened.

[aSpeckofDust]

4. You guys have to remember most translated speeches we get from iran are horribly mistranslated on

purpose, so take this article with a grain of salt.

[Johnson20]

5. And your evidence of that is???n/t

[The Magistrate]

7. Take It Up With Tehran, Sir

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/212321.html

Commander of the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps says in case of a military movement against Iran, NATO's missile shield in Turkey will be Iran's first target.


“The West's missile shield which is being deployed in Turkey by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), is managed by America and the Zionists, but to deceive Turkish people, they call it NATO defense shield,” Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh said.


No essential difference from the article in a translation provided by the Iranian government.

[2banon]

10. if this is true..

I think everyone should hold a high degree of skepticism with these kinds of reports. Seymour Hersh reminds us, that we are constantly told vis a vis the press and politicians that Iran says they're going to bomb Israel off the map, when they've never said this and I've never heard Iranians actually say this. This statement is beyond ludicrous in terms of it's implications. It's beyond crazy. They may as well be saying: We Iranian's want to be completely destroyed, please nuke us to smothering now. Or else we bomb Turkey! LOL!

[Odin2005]

11. This is dick waving. The Turks would crush the Iranians.

[BadtotheboneBob]

15. ... and they wouldn't even need NATO help to do it...

... other than, maybe, some logistical support. Please note: I sincerely hope it doesn't come to any attacks on anybody by anybody.

[Arctic Dave]

12. Sounds like they will US installations IN Turkey, not Turkey per se.

Big difference and legitimate.

[Zorro]

13. I'm sure the Turks would understand the difference

[Hugabear]

14. I'm sure that's exactly how Turkey would see it

:sarcasm:

It's kind of like the US saying that we're only attacking Al Qaeda/Taliban targets in Pakistan, and then not understanding why the Pakistanis are getting so pissed off.

[octothorpe]

21. I wonder how Turkey would view it though...

Hopefully saner heads will prevail on all sides. :)

[sarcasmo]

16. WWIII

[pam4water]

17. Hope it saber rattling. To bad there is not real press left to tell us the difference.

[Celefin]

23. This is a non-story

You provide military or logistical support to a country or organization attacking another country, you become a target.

Of course Iran would target NATO (or US, for that matter) installations in Turkey if they are being used to support an attack on Iran.

Turkey knows this, as does everybody else. Remember how they refused to let the US use their airbases in the second Iraq war? Exactly for that reason.

Stating the bloody obvious for purposes of risk-free saber-rattling.

Makes for a nice hyped up headline though.