The United States will launch a military strike on Iran before April from the sea and with Patriot missiles, according to an Arab Times report appearing on a major American news website.Yasss... Attacks by Patriot missiles can be devastating.
The report, carrying the by-line of Ahmed Al-Jarallah, editor-in-chief of Arab Times, is attributed to “sources” which are not identified. A “reliable source” is quoted as saying that President Bush recently held a meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney, Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the White House where they discussed “in minute detail” the plan to attack Iran.
The source said that Cheney highlighted the threat posed by Iran not only to Saudi Arabia, but the whole region. “Tehran is not playing politics. Iranian leaders are using their country’s religious influence to support the aggressive regime’s ambition to expand,” the source quoted Dick Cheney as saying. Those attending the meeting agreed to impose restrictions on the “ambitions” of the Iranian regime before April without exposing other countries in the region to any danger. The source said, “They have chosen April as British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said it will be the last month in office for him.”
Claiming that the attack will be launched from the sea and not from any country in the region, the source said, “The US will target the oil installations and nuclear facilities of Iran, ensuring there is no environmental catastrophe or after effects. Already the US has started sending its warships to the Gulf and the build-up will continue until Washington has the required number by the end of this month. US forces in the region will be protected against any Iranian missile attack by an advanced Patriot missile system.”
The source further said that although Gates and Rice suggested postponing the attack, Bush and Cheney insisted on attacking Tehran without any negotiations, “based on the lesson they learnt in Iraq recently”. The Bush administration believes attacking Iran will create a new power balance in the region, calm down the situation in Iraq and weaken the Syrian regime, which will eventually fade away.