(JPost.com.,22-8-2010) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected fears of an attack on Iran, taunting Israel as "too weak to face up to Iran militarily," and the US as unable to beat even a small army in Iraq, speaking in an interview with Al-Jazeera Sunday.
"Israel doesn't have the courage to do it," Ahmadinejad said, "and I do not think its threat is serious." He also stated that "America is not interested in sparking a military confrontation with Iran."
The Iranian president's provocative comments came the same day as he inaugurated Iran's new long-range bomber aircraft, which he called an "ambassador of death" to Iran's enemies, and the day after the Islamic Republic began fueling its nuclear reactor at Bushehr.
There has long been speculation that Israel could attack Iran's nuclear facilities, which it insists are for peaceful purposes, but which Israel fears would be used to build a nuclear weapon pointed at the Jewish state. The international community, led by the US and the UN, has levied increasingly harsh sanctions against Iran in a bid to force it to halt its nuclear program.
Last week, former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton made headlines when he stated that Israel had only days left to strike Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor before it began the fueling process, sparking debate over whether Israel, or even the United States, would attack Iran to destroy its facilities.
Ahmadinejad also predicted in his interview that the Arab states in the Gulf would not allow US bases in the region to be used to launch an attack against Iran, saying that "they are more intelligent than that."
"Israel doesn't have the courage to do it," Ahmadinejad said, "and I do not think its threat is serious." He also stated that "America is not interested in sparking a military confrontation with Iran."
The Iranian president's provocative comments came the same day as he inaugurated Iran's new long-range bomber aircraft, which he called an "ambassador of death" to Iran's enemies, and the day after the Islamic Republic began fueling its nuclear reactor at Bushehr.
There has long been speculation that Israel could attack Iran's nuclear facilities, which it insists are for peaceful purposes, but which Israel fears would be used to build a nuclear weapon pointed at the Jewish state. The international community, led by the US and the UN, has levied increasingly harsh sanctions against Iran in a bid to force it to halt its nuclear program.
Last week, former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton made headlines when he stated that Israel had only days left to strike Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor before it began the fueling process, sparking debate over whether Israel, or even the United States, would attack Iran to destroy its facilities.
Ahmadinejad also predicted in his interview that the Arab states in the Gulf would not allow US bases in the region to be used to launch an attack against Iran, saying that "they are more intelligent than that."
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