Middle East Focus: Nervous Boasts: Iranians Warn the West about Israeli War Demands, the Suez Parallel………

Arabia Deserta

Nervous Boasts: Iranians Warn the West about Israeli War Demands, the Suez Parallel………

“Commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces warns Western military analysts and chiefs against attacking the Middle East to avoid "humiliation" over their "unwise" move. "We advise American, British and Israeli commanders and analysts against another unwise act in order to avoid [future] humiliation and distress over failures in the Middle East because in this case they would have to pay a heavy price," the Brig. Gen. Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan said Wednesday. "Americans can be certain that in the event of a ground, naval or aerial attack against our country, they will be faced with a crushing and decisive response which will be much more fatal and crushing than their initial act [of aggression]," Mehr News Agency quoted the commander as saying……….” Press TV

He sounds quite boastful, perhaps too boastful, this general, and I think he surely wonders how any coming war, if it comes, will turn out. For some time the Iranians seemed certain that there will be no war; that the US, and hence Israel, will refrain from attacking. That was also my opinion.

Now some of their leadership is not sure anymore. They see Israeli pressure on the US ratcheting up, pressure being applied through the usual Israeli lobby, the Republican Christian Right (that now includes Rep. Eric Cantor and Bill Kristol as honorary members), and through encouragement from the ruling absolute tribal oligarchies of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. They probably suspect that any war will be initiated by Israel, with the US inevitably “pressed” to join as the Iranians naturally retaliate with missiles in self defense, and as hostilities spread to the sea lanes of the Persian-American Gulf (or is it the Persian-American-Israeli Gulf now).

All this is reminiscent of the Suez War (1956), when the Israelis were chosen to initiate hostilities against Egypt even as British and French naval forces advanced toward the Suez Canal and joined the battle. I am guessing any war will have, at the least, similar 'political' consequences as the Suez War did.
But this boastful general is right about grave consequences.
Cheers
mhg

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