An Iranian ship and helicopters takes part in naval manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman April 6, 2006. Iran says the war games in the Gulf, which began on March 31, are a show of defensive strength, but analysts say the timing during a nuclear standoff with the West offers a reminder that Iran could threaten a vital world oil shipping route. REUTERS/IRNA
U.S. seen stepping up war plans for Iran
White House mulls military solutions for nuclear standoff, sources say
By Peter Baker, Dafna Linzer and Thomas E. Ricks
The Washington Post
Updated: 10:32 p.m. ET April 8, 2006
The Bush administration is studying options for military strikes against Iran as part of a broader strategy of coercive diplomacy to pressure Tehran to abandon its alleged nuclear development program, according to U.S. officials and independent analysts.
No attack appears likely in the short term, and many specialists inside and outside the U.S. government harbor serious doubts about whether an armed response would be effective. But administration officials are preparing for it as a possible option and using the threat "to convince them this is more and more serious," as a senior official put it.
According to current and former officials, Pentagon and CIA planners have been exploring possible targets, such as the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and the uranium conversion facility at Isfahan. Although a land invasion is not contemplated, military officers are weighing alternatives ranging from a limited airstrike aimed at key nuclear sites, to a more extensive bombing campaign designed to destroy an array of military and political targets. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12225188/The media and the regime are building the rhetoric, stepping it up still another notch.