Saturday, January 22, 2005
Chance of US attack very slim: Khatami
KAMPALA: Iran said on Thursday it believed the chance of a US military attack was very low since US forces were pinned down elsewhere.
“I do not think the Americans would do such a crazy thing as carry out military attacks against Iran,” Iranian President Mohammad Khatami told state radio during a visit to Uganda.
“We believe the possibility of America attacking Iran is very low, as it is involved in other places,” he said. Khatami said Iran would in any case defend itself against any attack by the United States, which he described as not “wise enough” to understand the implications of its own actions.
“If any country tries to invade our country, we are strong enough to defend ourselves,” Khatami told a news conference. “The US has shown many times that it is not wise enough to think about the future and the implications of its actions.” Khatami was asked about an article in the New Yorker magazine that reported the United States had conducted secret reconnaissance missions inside Iran to help identify potential nuclear, chemical and missile targets.
Pentagon officials called the New Yorker report “riddled with errors”. But President George W Bush said on Monday Washington would not rule out military action against Iran if it was not more forthcoming about its suspected nuclear weapons program.
“No one is going to benefit from attacking our country, including the US and others. Our friends will certainly condemn any such acts on behalf of the United States,” Khatami said. “We are not seeking war with any country, including the United States, and we will mobilise our resources to avoid any such tensions in the future.”
reuters
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