Admiral Mike Mullen: U.S. Has Iran Strike Plan

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has a plan to attack Iran, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday, although he thinks a military strike is probably a bad idea.

Not long after Adm. Mike Mullen's aired on a Sunday talk show, the deputy chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard was quoted as saying there would be a strong Iranian response should the U.S. take military action against his country.

Mullen, the highest ranking U.S. military officer, often has warned that a strike on Iran would have serious and unpredictable ripple effects around the Middle East. At the same time, Mullen said the risk of Iran's developing a nuclear weapon is unacceptable, although he would not say which risk he thinks is worse.

"I think the military options have been on the table and remain on the table," Mullen said on "Meet the Press" on NBC. "It's one of the options that the president has. Again, I hope we don't get to that, but it's an important option and it's one that's well understood."

The official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Revolutionary Guard deputy chief Yadollah Javani as saying Sunday that security in the Persian Gulf would be jeopardized "if Americans commit the slightest mistake."

"The Persian Gulf is a strategic region. If the security of this region is endangered, they will suffer losses too and our response will be firm," Javani said.

Iran repeatedly has threatened to target the heart of Tel Aviv, the second-largest city in Israel, should the U.S. or Israel take military action against it.

The U.S. and Iran are at odds over the goals of Iran's nuclear program. Iran contends that it's aimed at peaceful uses of nuclear energy while the U.S. claims Iran is gearing up to create a nuclear weapon.

___

Associated Press writer Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

Comments

[Alex Young]

12:16 AM on 08/16/2010

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has a plan to attack canada and finland.

all those high ranking officers have to appear to keep busy to keep their jobs.

[Alex Young]

11:19 PM on 08/15/2010

Profile not found for user Alex_Young Go to the home page.

HELP!

[barefoot2626]

12:36 AM on 08/16/2010

Give it a couple hours, Alex. It may be part of the new system.

Or you could send them email, have two children, start saving for college, one of them, (the oldest daughter) will get knocked up, you'll decide not to look at the ultra sound and be surprised... and then you will get a response from Huff.

[Alex Young]

01:48 AM on 08/16/2010

hahaha!!

and they took away my delete comment button,,,,,

[mtaylor90028]

06:43 PM on 08/07/2010

As an Ame rican I feel bad for Ir an. They've done absolutely nothing but are now targ ets from the world-wide bul ly who is completely wa.r-like and sav.age. USA/I. sra el won't allow anyone to ex ist in peace unless they bo w down to the "fre.e mark.et" business model (which is all about the.ft and dest.ructio.n of a nation of people in which a small few at top ben.efit and report to the n .w.o lead.ers. so in essence they want to ens.lav.e you.

[nk5otr]

03:15 PM on 08/16/2010

According to the US State Dept, Iran has been doing more than "nothing":

Iran’s Qods Force provided training to the Taliban in Afghanistan on small unit tactics, small arms, explosives, and indirect fire weapons. Since at least 2006, Iran has arranged arms shipments to select Taliban members, including small arms and associated ammunition, rocket propelled grenades, mortar rounds, 107mm rockets, and plastic explosives.

Iranian authorities continued to provide lethal support, including weapons, training, funding, and guidance, to Iraqi Shia militant groups that targeted U.S. and Iraqi forces. The Qods Force continued to supply Iraqi militants with Iranian-produced advanced rockets, sniper rifles, automatic weapons, and mortars that have killed Iraqi and Coalition Forces, as well as civilians. The Qods Force, in concert with Lebanese Hizballah, provided training outside of Iraq and advisors inside Iraq for Shia militants in the construction and use of sophisticated improvised explosive device technology and other advanced weaponry.

Senior IRGC, IRGC Qods Force, and Iranian government officials were indicted by the Government of Argentina for their alleged roles in the 1994 terrorist bombing of the Argentine-Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA); according to the Argentine State Prosecutor’s report, the attack was initially proposed by the Qods Force. In 2007, INTERPOL issued a “red notice” for six individuals wanted in connection to the bombing. One of the individuals, Ahmad Vahidi, was named as Iran’s Defense Minister

http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2009/140889.htm

[earthyfish]

10:21 AM on 08/03/2010

What a genius idea! Attacking Iran is like having a hungry lion held in a well secured cage but because you fantasize that one day in some unknown future the lion may miraculously leave the cage and may bite you, you decide to enter the cage to restrain her and consequently be eaten by the lion.

http://www.juancole.com/2010/07/jahanpour-iran-turkey-and-israel-new-global-realities.html#more-7932

[eaglewing]

08:47 AM on 08/03/2010

PetitionOnIine
Ban lsrael from the London 2012 OIympics

http://www.petitiononline.com/12101982/petition.html

[justask70]

10:39 AM on 08/03/2010

You throw these shallow, hateful on-line bombs out with no explaination and no follow-up.

[Baghooli]

04:32 AM on 08/04/2010

You're such tree huger! Your been fanned!

[eaglewing]

08:45 AM on 08/03/2010

Neither the British nor the UN had any right to steaI PaIestine from the Palestinians. Palestine belongs to the PaIestinians.

[HolyKow]

02:43 PM on 08/03/2010

You are as smart as a bag of hair.

hk

[eaglewing]

08:44 AM on 08/03/2010

Yet another US - AlPAC war for the sake of the IsraeIis

[joeinvt]

11:42 AM on 08/03/2010

What were the other wars for the sake of the Israelis?

[barefoot2626]

12:46 AM on 08/16/2010

Yom Kippur- 1973- pushed Soviet Union & USA close to nuclear war.

REad up on it.

[Chopin]

03:19 AM on 08/03/2010

This following link is video testimony by 3 different specialist physicians and scientists with long direct experience and impeccable credentials. They come from different nationalities. But they have this in common -- they want to testify and widely disseminate the truth about health and genetic damage to human beings from contamination by radioactive dust of exploded Depleted Uranium munitions.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5146778547681767408#

It is important that readers of Huffpost hear, watch, examine the direct detailed testimonies of these physicians and scientists. Then in each person's quiet times contemplate the true consequences and grave implications of the decisions and actions to use Depleted Uranium munitions in large quantities over populations. Each rational person with a mind and a soul needs to confront this crucial question of our times:---

Are the decisions and actions to use Depleted Uranium munitions crimes against humanity ?

The detailed testimonies follow below.
.

[Chopin]

03:30 AM on 08/03/2010

Detailed testimonies, critical segment in German + Enlish translation:--

(@23:45) "Kenny Duncan war ein [kraft...] gesunder Mann. Seine Kromosomen sahen so als wie in dies hier Bild gesehen, Dann kam die Strahlung dass kam zum Kromosom zu brechen. Dieser Hundzahl vom Kromosomenbrechen kann man in der Familie Mandy und Kenny Duncan sehen. Sie haben drei Kinder, und alle drei Kinder sind genetisch schwergeschaedigt. Das Uran ist bei der Verbrennung so so kleinen Partikeln verbrannt, das ist ueberall im Korper hingelangt, nicht nur zu den Lymfozyten, auch zum Gehirn, zum Leber, auch zum Sperma und zur Eizellen. Deshalb sind die Kinder von Kenny Duncan genetischkrank. Diese Kinder haben auch geschaedige Kromosomen, und sie werden naturlich vollraten genetisch beschaedigte Kinder vorbringen und ihren Kinder der Kinder wieder."

(@23:45) Professor Albrecht Schott:-- "Kenny Duncan was a strong, healthy man; his chromosomes looked like this. But then he was exposed to radiation, and his chromosomes started to break up. Large numbers of broken chromosomes can also be seen in his family. Mandy and Kenny Duncan have three children, and all three display severe genetic damage. When uranium combusts, it breaks down into particles small enough to get into every part of the body, not just the lymphocytes but also the brain, liver, sperm, egg cells. That's what makes Kenny Duncan's children genetically ill. And because they have damaged chromosomes, of course they are likely to produce genetically damaged offspring themselves, as will the next generation after them."
.

[Hassan shoja]

04:20 AM on 08/03/2010

Sometimes the biggest crimes against humanity goes completely unnoticed.

[Chopin]

10:46 AM on 08/03/2010

Once we become aware of the problems and the crimes, our own silence becomes complicity in this culture of complicity of silence.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
~~~~~ Edmund Burke

Some day in the future, when the war is over, and tensions subside, men and women of good conscience, and even children, all over the world, and in the US, will ask Americans: "Where were you when thousands of tons of exploded lethal radioactive Depleted Uranium dusts were spread all over entire countries in Middle East and elsewhere that will make large regions of uninhabitable radioactive wasteland that will remain lethal for eternity ? Did you not know about those crimes against future generations ? Did you not care about children of the future ? Have you lost your minds, hearts, and souls ?" How will the American people answer for such crimes against humanity for all time ?

[mtaylor90028]

06:48 PM on 08/07/2010

The biggest crime of all HUMANITY (men/women, black/white, whatever) in the last 1000 years has probably been the killings of native peoples in what is now known as Australia and what is now known as USA. Of course if you are internally racist you probably feel dark-skinned people don't count as human-beings but are savages. You could also make an argument that the biggest crime against humanity has been the treatment of men enslaving women to a male-minded and controlled world/existence.

[Ely Delume]

01:16 AM on 08/03/2010

boycott Israel,,

[barefoot2626]

12:47 AM on 08/16/2010

barcode = starts with 729.

[Saco A]

02:22 PM on 08/16/2010

Even the Palestinians do not boycott Israel, but some are more Israel-hater than Palestinians-lovers.

So if you want to do it right read this first: http://97.74.65.51/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=875

If it is too challenging you can watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcHwyW9xOyI

After you imply the recommendations to prove your seriousness, I am really curious to see how you are going to comment here again. Maybe with a pigeon.

[fightorleave2]

04:46 PM on 08/02/2010

I have one thing to say: Michael Mullen is a war criminal, and why anyone would be interested in what a war criminal thinks about war, is simply beyond my comprehension. Get real, America, Mr. Mullen is a war criminal and belongs in prison along with many other US military personnel, politicians, CEOs and so-called magnates.

[Chazmania]

05:30 PM on 08/02/2010

This is absolutely spot on...America has a rouge government that has turned into an imperialist nation approaching a resemblance to 1940's Germany....How do we stop them..And the most bizar part is the Z!0n|st influence on the US government is truly a scary one..

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5863204188744026936#docid=2894821400057137878
American public is in the dark on may of the things going on behind the scenes.
http://www.viewzone.com/dualcitizen.html

[Wisdo]

04:22 AM on 08/03/2010

lol, well a Rogue government maybe...

[PaticaDeGato]

12:48 PM on 08/02/2010

The planet is sliding into a Mexican standoff with a whole bunch of (nuclear) gunmen involved.

[Hassan shoja]

01:29 PM on 08/02/2010

Maybe so but in ME, Israel is the only country having nuclear weapons.

[Chazmania]

05:31 PM on 08/02/2010

That we Illegally support...government gets to make and brake laws whenever they see fit..
This is not a democracy any more.. it is a fake one.. a facade of one....

[Hassan shoja]

03:29 PM on 08/02/2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DNmR15Lui8

[Hassan shoja]

03:55 PM on 08/02/2010

Wrong Blog.

It is a pre-election debate between Mousavi and Ahmadinejad not related to this topic.

[IntellectuallyHonest]

12:00 PM on 08/02/2010

Does Brazil have an Iran strike plan? No. Instead, they develop alternative energy sources. They have a great carnival, too.

[Vlady]

12:42 PM on 08/02/2010

"Does Brazil have an Iran strike plan? No. Instead, they develop"

close relations with Iran supplying it with nuclear technology.

[IntellectuallyHonest]

01:57 PM on 08/02/2010

Perhaps the media could discuss the US and Israel giving up its nuclear weapons, and then allowing Iran to develop a 'credible nuclear deterrent.' What would be so bad about that?

[Hassan shoja]

04:00 PM on 08/02/2010

Members of NPT has an obligation to help other members to improve their peaceful usage of nuclear technology.

It is international law and even US has signed it.

[ThatsTheTheWayItIs]

11:57 AM on 08/02/2010

Of course we have a plan to strike Iran. Also Russia, China, Pakistan, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and lots of others.

The military is asked to come up with contingency plans for every possible situation.
It's their job, doesn't mean we will use those plans. It's called "preparedness".

[Chopin]

03:09 PM on 08/02/2010

You're repeating the talking points that others have repeated before.
This war plan is no ordinary contingency plan. You know it, and so do most knowledgeable
and well-informed people. It's a canard you're repeating and perpetrating.
Israel is making active preparation and practice at airstrike against Iran.
It's no longer much of a secret. Bunker busting munitions have been bought and
paid for by American tax-payers, and delivered to Israel within last 12 months.
Stop treating all Huffpost readers as uninformed gullible fools.

[mtaylor90028]

06:50 PM on 08/07/2010

right; I am sure everyone 1st world country has a plan against and for everything. Including Hurricane Katrina.

[Freenation]

11:41 AM on 08/02/2010

Read the latest article by Benny avni nypost rag's resident Zionist as to how happy he us with now US dovish officials agreeing to bomb Iran...the fact this nonsense and warmongering is published by Murdoch gives out what his goals are: fearmongering

[iamvalid]

11:09 AM on 08/02/2010

So did John McCain.