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The March to War: Iran Preparing for US Air Attacks


By Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya

September 21, 2006


Iran is bracing itself for an expected American-led air campaign. The
latter is in the advanced stages of military planning.

If there were to be war between the United States and Iran, the aerial
campaign would unleash fierce combat. It would be fully interactive on
multiple fronts. It would be a difficult battle involving active
movement in the air from both sides.

If war were to occur, the estimates of casualties envisaged by American
and British war planners would be high.

The expected wave of aerial attacks would resemble the tactics of the
Israeli air-war against Lebanon and would follow the same template, but
on a larger scale of execution.

The U.S. government and the Pentagon had an active role in graphing,
both militarily and politically, the template of confrontation in
Lebanon. The Israeli siege against Lebanon is in many regards a dress
rehearsal for a planned attack on Iran.1

A war against Iran is one that could also include military operations
against Syria. Multiple theatres would engulf many of the neighbors of
Iran and Syria, including Iraq and Israel/Palestine.

It must also be noted that an attack on Iran would be of a scale which
would dwarf the events in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Levant. A full
blown war on Iran would not only swallow up and incorporate these other
conflicts. It would engulf the entire Middle East and Central Asian
region into an extensive confrontation.

An American-led air campaign against Iran, if it were to be
implemented, would be both similar and contrasting in its outline and
intensity when compared to earlier Anglo-American sponsored
confrontations.

The war would start with intense bombardment and attacks on Iran's
infrastructure, but would be different in its scope of operations and
intensity.

The characteristics of such a conflict would also be unpredictable
because of Iran's capabilities to respond. And in all likelihood, Iran
would launch its own potent attacks and extend the theatre of war by
attacking U.S. and American-led troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the
Persian Gulf.

The United States must also take into account the fact that Iran unlike
Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon would be an opponent with the capability
to resist the US sponsored attacks on the ground, but also on the sea
and in the air.

Unlike the former opponents faced by the United States and its
partners, Iran would be able to target the military launch pads used by
the United States. Iran would also be able to attack the U.S. supply
and logistical hubs in the Persian Gulf. American ships carrying
supplies, troops, and warplanes would be vulnerable to Iranian
counter-attacks by way of Iranian missiles, warplanes, and naval
forces. It is no mere coincidence that Iran has been demonstrating its
military capabilities during the "Blow of Zolfaqar" war games
conducted in late August .2

Iranian Preparations for an American-led Air Campaign

The United States has continually threatened to attack Iran. These
threats are made under the pretext of halting the development of
nuclear weapons in Iran. The development of nuclear weapons by Iran is
something the IAEA and its inspectors have refuted as untrue3, but the
United States insists on continuing the charade as grounds for a
military endgame with Iran.

The threat of an American-led attack against Iran with the heavy
involvement of Israel and Britain, amongst others, has primed Iran to
prepare itself for the anticipated moment. Over the years, this has led
Iran to stride for self-sufficiency in producing its own advanced
military hardware and the development of asymmetrical tactics to combat
the United States.

Iranian defense planners have stated publicly that they have learned
from the cases of neighbouring Afghanistan and Iraq. They are acutely
aware of the U.S. military's heavy reliance on aerial strikes.

August 2006 saw the start of the virtually unprecedented events of the
Blow of Zolfaqar war games throughout Iran and its border provinces.4
These were similar to those conducted in April 2006.
The latter were also held during a period of tense confrontation
between Iran and the United States.

April 2006 was a period that could have resulted in military conflict
between both the United States and Iran. In April 2006, Iran had not
only dismissed the deadline set on its nuclear program, but it
announced in defiance to the United States that it had successfully
enriched uranium for the first time.

Iran has taken the opportunity of the launching of both the April 2006
and Blow of Zolfaqar war games to display its preparedness and
capability to engage in combat. Additionally, Iran has taken the
occasion to fine tune its defenses and mobilize its military apparatus.
This exhibition of Iranian military might is intended to deter
America's intent to trigger another Middle Eastern war.

During the war games, the Iranian military has adjusted and modified
its air defense shield for maximum dexterity and efficiency in
preparation, to stop incoming missiles and invading aircraft..5 The
war games have been an opportunity for testing of Iranian capacity to
wage war in the air
The Iranian military has also reported the testing of laser-guided
weaponry, advanced torpedoes, ballistic missiles, anti-ship missiles,
bullets that pierce through bullet-proof vests, and electronic military
hardware during the Blow of Zolfaqar war games.6 Surface-to-surface and
ocean-to-surface missiles (submarine-to-surface missiles) in the
Persian Gulf were also tested in late-August 2006. These included
missiles that are invisible to radar and can use multiple warheads or
carry multiple payloads to hit numerous targets simultaneously.

Iran has also tested a "2,000 pound guided-bomb with long-range
capabilities." This "2,000 pound bomb" is said to be a "special
weapon developed for penetrating military, economic and strategic
targets located deep underground or on the soil of the [impending]
enemy."7 In the case of war, this weapon could be directed against
Anglo-American military infrastructure in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the
Persian Gulf. This guided bomb is an unmanned aircraft carrying an
explosive warhead. Following the execution of the Blow of Zolfaqar war
games, the Iranian Defense Minister stated that "Iran now joins the
few countries that possess guided missile technology,"8


Iran has also been manufacturing its own warplanes,9 submarines, attack
helicopters, tanks, torpedoes, and missiles. This includes
remote-controlled modified Maverick Missiles.10 Brigadier-General
Amini, the Deputy Commander of the Air Branch (Air Force) of the
Regular Forces, has highlighted that Iran has starting the development
and manufacturing of new types of warplanes besides the "Lighting
fighter jets" that have been showcased in Northern Iran.11

To discourage the United States in its plans to attack Iran, the
Iranian military has additionally been showcasing its abilities to dog
fight in the air with its fighter jets.12 Iranian fighter and bomber
jets have been progressively equipped with advanced software and
hardware, developed in Iran or by way of technology transfers from
China, the Russian Federation, and the republics of the former Soviet
Union.

Iranian Commanders have also stated that Iran can track and hit
warplanes without using conventional radar. Iran has also been
showcasing its signal jamming devices and electronic military hardware,
which it compares to NATO standards13.

Warnings to the United States To Stop Its War Plans
In Iran military commanders and state officials have also directly
warned the United States to halt its march towards war in the Middle
East. An account of a statement by Major-General Salehi, commander of
the Iranian Army, sums up the generic view of Iranian military
officials and planners in the advent of another Middle Eastern war
initiated by the United States;

"Pointing to the joint maneuvers to be carried out by the U.S. army
[meaning military] and some other countries in the regional waters in
the coming days, the General said that the U.S. presence in the region
[Middle East] is considered as a threat to the security of the regional
countries, and further warned Washington that in case the U.S. dares to
practice threats [by actually attacking], it will then have to face a
defeat as bad as the one that the Zionists [Israel] had to sustain in
Lebanon."14
The Iranian Defence Minister has said "that his ministry is now
equipping the border units of the army with modern military tools and
weapons in a bid to increase their military capabilities,"15 and
"that any possible enemy invasion of Iran will receive a severe blow,
adding that failures of alien troops [meaning U.S., British, Coalition,
and NATO forces] in Iraq and Afghanistan have taught trans-regional
powers extreme caution."16

Other examples of public warnings by Iranian military commanders
directed at the United States and its partners include;
Acting Deputy Commander [Brigadier-General Ahmadi] of the Iranian
Mobilized Forces (Basij), noting the intensification of the
psychological operations and pressures against Iran, stressed that his
troops are fully prepared to encounter "any stupid act by the
enemies."17 (September 9, 2006)
[Brigadier-General Mohammad Hejazi] advised the U.S. to relinquish the
idea of invading Iran, stressing that as soon as the U.S. dares to make
such a big mistake, it will lose its forged reputation due to its [the
U.S. military's] frequent and shocking defeats from the Iranian
troops.18 (September 10, 2006)

[Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Major-General Safavi has
warned that Revolutionary Guard] ground troops form a defensive force,
but meantime warned that in case any foreign threats are posed to Iran,
[assured that the] IRGC adopts an aggressive strategy and hits enemy
targets in strategic depth. He also described the southwestern province
of Khuzestan as the most strategic region of the country, saying,
"Considering that Khuzestan is a border province located at our
sensitive borders with Iraq where British and American occupying troops
aim at devising cultural and security plots for Khuzestani people
through their intelligence organizations and bodies, IRGC and Basij
troops should maintain their preparedness at [the] highest levels
possible in order to confront and defuse any such measures by the
enemies."19 (September 13, 2006: Also See British Troops Mobilizing
on the Iranian Border)

During the August war games, Iranian military commanders claimed, in a
gesture directed towards the United States, Britain, and Israel,
"that no air force of any power stationed in the Middle East is
capable of confronting the Iranian military's ground forces."20

This might seem like a psychological tactic to influence morale on both
sides and deter any possible aerial assaults against Iran. This
statement cannot be easily overruled if a comprehensive analysis is
made and studied. In this regard, one must look at Lebanon, where
Hezbollah and the Lebanese Resistance were able to withstand Israeli
air raids and overcome the Israeli military on the ground. The Lebanese
Resistance is reported as being armed and trained by the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard. What would an Iranian defensive of a larger
magnitude, with state resources and air capabilities, be like?

The anticipation of a conflict are also coming from Iraq. Iraqi leaders
have been charging that the United States and Britain plan on attacking
Iran from Iraqi territory. Government representatives of Anglo-American
occupied Iraq have asked that Iraq not be turned into a theatre of war
between the United States and Iran. "We do not want Iraq to become
an arena where other states [i.e., the United States, Britain, and
Iran] settle their accounts,"21 said the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister
Barham Salih while visiting the Iranian capital, Tehran. This message
looked as if it was mainly directed at the United States, as well as
Iran.

Iran Always a Military Objective for the United States Washington:
"Anyone can go to Baghdad! Real Men go to Tehran!"
According to Michel Chossudovsky (The Next Phase of the Middle East
War, September, 2006), the war on Iran is another phase of a
"military roadmap" which includes the invasions of Afghanistan
(2001) and Iraq (2003) and the Anglo-American sponsored Israeli siege
of Lebanon (2006) as earlier stages.

In May, 2003 after the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq in March 2003,
the motto in Washington D.C. was
"Anyone can go to Baghdad! Real men go to Tehran!"
One should ask why "real" men would continue towards Tehran after the
invasion of Iraq. This slogan demonstrates that Iran was an objective
or a phase in a broader military operation. With that said, Washington
would prefer some form of internal "non-violent" regime change in Iran
leading to American control of the Iranian economy and oil resources
rather than a high-risk and high cost military confrontation. The shape
and nature of this conflict, however, is uncertain.

The possibility of conflict with Iran and a major aerial assault are
widely known.

The United States has been planning to attack Iran for years. Colonel
Sam Gardiner (Retired, U.S. Air Force) has stated that the campaign
against Iran is one where "the issue is not whether the military
option would be used, but who approved the start of operations
already."

The March to War with Iran and Syria

With time fleeting, the Iranian military is positioning itself in
battle formations under the pretext of nationwide war games and other
pretexts. Iran has been steadily strengthening its air defenses and air
units in preparation for the possibility of strikes. Iranian and Syrian
coordination is also intensifying with the passing of time.

An attack on Iran and Syria would be a combination of heavy air
bombardment by the U.S. Air Force, including the U.S. Army's air
units. It would also include a ground offensive led by the U.S. Marines
and Army from the American bases surrounding both Iran and Syria. The
U.S. Navy and Coast Guard would predominately manage the theatre of war
in the Persian Gulf, with a view to guaranteeing the unimpeded flow of
oil through the strategic Straits of Hormuz.

The Israeli military would deal with military operations in the Levant.
Both Israeli troops and Israeli public opinion are being prepared for
the possibility of another Middle Eastern conflict. In this context,
Israel would face the possibility of aerial assaults from Iran. Iran
has threatened to retaliate if it is attacked, using its ballistic
missiles.

British and Australian forces in southern Iraq would deploy with the
strategic aim of occupying the Iranian province of Khuzestan and
securing its oil. Khuzestan is where most of Iran's oil fields are
located. Meanwhile a naval build-up is developing in the Persian Gulf
which also includes the U.S. Coast Guard and the Canadian Navy.

The United States and its partners meanwhile are continuing to marshal
and siphon their forces into the Middle East and Afghanistan. Both the
United States and Britain have promised troop reductions in Iraq, but
are actually increasing their troop levels. It also seems that a muzzle
is being placed on Lebanon to stop any attacks on Israel by the
presence of troops from member states of NATO.

Syria also seems to be expecting a possible aerial campaign. A vessel
sailing to Syria under the flag of Panama, the "Grigorio I," has
been reported to have been stopped off the coast of Cyprus transporting
18 truck-mounted mobile radar systems and three command vehicles for
delivery to Syria. This equipment appears to be part of an air defence
system.22

In Iran, the Intelligence Minister has warned that "enemies are
seeking to create instability in Iran through different measures,
including assassinations, explosions and extensive insecurities" and
that "his forces, in cooperation and coordination with other
governmental bodies, have defused enemies' plots in different Iranian
provinces, including Tehran."23

Venezuela has also threatened to halt oil exports in the event of an
Anglo-American aggression against Iran and Syria. Venezuela has gone on
to caution that it will defend Iran "under threat of invasion from
the United States." This was a warning given to the United States by
Venezuela during the Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement in Cuba.24
The United States has already started to target both Iran and
Syria's financial bodies and institutions in an act of economic
warfare. Syria has in step with Iran taken "preventative steps" in
early 2006 by switching from using the U.S. dollar to using the Euro
for all its transactions. The head of the state-owned Syria Commercial
Bank has said that such measures have been taken to protect Syria from
American sanctions (economic warfare).25

Actions have been taken against the large, state-owned Bank Saderat of
Iran by the United States.26 The Bank Saderat has been cut off from the
U.S. financial system and its network(s). This is part of a deliberate
objective to financially cut off Iran from the rest of the world. Three
large Japanese banks, the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho
Corporate Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation have followed in
step and will terminate business with Bank Saderat.27



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Notes

1 Seymour H. Hersh, Washing Lebanon: Washington's Interest in
Israel's War, The New Yorker, August 14 & 21, 2006

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060821fa_fact


2 Iranian War Games: Exercises, Tests, and Drills or Preparation and
Mobilization for War?, Global Research (CRG), August 21, 2006

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=3DviewArticle&code=3DDAR20=

3 IAEA: US report on Iran "Outrageous," Aljazeera, September 15,
2006

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/84145EE0-6DF6-467D-AB67-670A83EF30=

4 Iranian War Games: Exercises, Tests, and Drills or Preparation and
Mobilization for War?, Global Research (CRG), August 21, 2006

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=3DviewArticle&code=3DDAR20=

5 Iran 'successfully' tests new air defence system, People's Daily,
September 5, 2006

http://english.people.com.cn/200609/05/eng20060905_299651.html

Iranian Missile Test; Xinhua News Agency, September 5, 2006

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-09/05/content_5050931.htm

6 Iran tests laser-guided bomb during war games, The Hindu, September
5, 2006
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200609051820.htm

7 Iran completes military exercise by testing 2,000-pound bomb,
Pravada; September 7, 2006

http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/07-09-2006/84317-weapons-0

8 Iran tests first-ever 2,000-pound guided bomb: Minister; IRNA,
September 6, 2006

http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-22/0609065169142007.htm

9 Karimi, Nasser; Iran deploys locally-manufactured warplane, Hindustan
Times, September 6, 2006

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1787643,00050004.htm, Originally
published by the Associated Press

10 Enemy Targets Destroyed by Maverick Missiles, Fars News Agency,
September 6, 2006

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=3D8506140347,

Maverick missiles are American made or developed air-to-surface
missiles which are conventionally used to attack armoured units,
warships, air defences, military transport and logistics units, and
military depots.

11 Iran to Manufacture a New Jet Fighter, Fars News Agency, September
12, 2006

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=3D8506210548

12 Complicated Dogfight Tactics Exercised during 'Blow of Zolfaqar' War
Games, Fars News Agency, September 4, 2006
http://english.farsnews.net/newstext.php?nn=3D8506130203

Iranian F14s Carry Hawk Missiles Successfully, Fars News Agency,
September 4, 2006

http://english.farsnews.net/newstext.php?nn=3D8506130205


13 Iran says ready to combat electronic warfare, Iranmania, Sunday,
March 05, 2006


14 Army Prepared to Force Back Trans-Regional Threats, Fars News
Agency, September 6, 2006

http://www.farsnews.com/English/newstext.php?nn=3D8506140520

Trans-regional powers mean non-Middle Eastern nations with substantial
force in the Middle East (the region being talked about).

15 Defense Minister: Any Foreign Aggression Responded by Force; Fars
News Agency; September 2, 2006

http://english.farsnews.net/newstext.php?nn=3D8506110568


16 Defence Minister: Any Military Aggression against Iran Struck Back
Heavily, Fars News Agency, September 4, 2006

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=3D8506130415


17 Mobilize Forces Prepare to Encounter Enemies, Fars New Agency,
September 9, 2006

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=3D8506180167

18 Basij Comander: Enemies Awe Shattered Once they Err, Fars News
Agency, September 10, 2006

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=3D8506190583


19 Commander Warns o IRGC's Aggressive Strategy in Case of Foreign
Threats, Fars News Agency, September 13, 2006

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=3D8506220539


20 No Air Force Capable of Confronting Iranian Army, Fars News Agency;
August 19, 2006 http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=3D8505280544


21 Iraq Not a Place for Others to Settle Accounts, Fars News Agency,
September 6, 2006
http://www.farsnews.com/English/newstext.php?nn=3D8506140551


22 Cyprus finds air-defence systems on Syria-bond ship, Reuters,
September , 2006

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=3DworldNews&storyID=3D134490=

23 Intelligence Minister: Enemies Plots Defused in Tehran, Border
Provinces, Fars News Agency, September 13, 2006

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=3D8506220518


24 Chavez pledge support for Iran, British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC), September 15, 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5347978.stm


25 Syria switches to euro amid sanctions threat, Xinhua News Agency,
February 13-14, 2006

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-02/14/content_4177423.htm


26 Lawder, David; US Treasury say Iran pressure can be unilateral,
Reuters, September 12, 2006


27 Three big Japan banks decide not to deal with Iran's Bank Saderat,
Forbes, September 16, 2006

http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2006/09/16/afx3021822.html


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Related articles, Centre for Research on Globalization:

The Next Phase of the Middle East War 2006-09-04

Baluchistan and the Coming Iran War 2006-09-01

British Troops Mobilizing on the Iranian Border 2006-08-30

Russia and Central Asian Allies Conduct War Games in Response to US
Threats 2006-08-24

Beating the Drums of War: US Troop Build-up: Army & Marines authorize
"Involuntary Conscription" 2006-08-23

Iranian War Games: Exercises, Tests, and Drills or Preparation and
Mobilization for War? 2006-08-21

Triple Alliance": The US, Turkey, Israel and the War on Lebanon
2006-08-06

The War on Lebanon and the Battle for Oil 2006-07-26

Is the Bush Administration Planning a Nuclear Holocaust? 2006-02-22

The Dangers of a Middle East Nuclear War 2006-02-17

Nuclear War against Iran 2006-01-03

Israeli Bombings could lead to Escalation of Middle East War 2006-07-15


Iran: Next Target of US Military Aggression 2005-05-01

Planned US-Israeli Attack on Iran 2005-05-01


See also

Rogers, Paul; Iran: Consequences of a War, Oxford Research Group;
February, 2006

http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/publications/briefings/IranConseque=

http://www.iranbodycount.org/


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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the sole
responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of
the Centre for Research on Globalization.


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