Iranian minefield: Western error would ‘endanger Israel’s existence’

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Published time: March 22, 2012 19:12
Edited time: March 23, 2012 00:00

Any move - even the “slightest of errors” - which can be considered a hostile act against the Islamic Republic will jeopardize the very existence of the Israeli regime, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a senior Iranian lawmaker, has said.

­Boroujerdi, who is also the head of the Majlis Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, warned the West that it should take Iran’s threats with all seriousness, Press TV reports.

“Should the Western countries want to commit the slightest of errors regarding Iran, they will be gripped by such ramifications that will endanger the existence of the Zionist regime,” he is quoted as saying. "In case of any venture against our country, the aggressors will face a swift, resolute and serious countermeasure."

The harsh statement comes the same day as the US State Department revealed the list of 12 countries which may be subjected to American financial sanctions for failing to cut oil imports from Iran.

Israel has still not ruled out a military strike to stop Iran's nuclear research, considering the economic sanctions imposed by the US and EU to be insufficient.

On Wednesday, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Mohamed ElBaradei, warned Israel that a military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites would not bring any good results and would only encourage the Islamic republic to develop nuclear weapons.

“You can bomb their facilities, but you cannot bomb their knowledge,” ElBaradei said. “If you were to bomb Iranian facilities, there would be a lesson for Iran – to develop nuclear weapons.”

Iran insists on the peaceful character of its nuclear program, while the US and Israel, backed by the majority of Western countries, continue to accuse Iran of developing nuclear weapons, though without any concrete evidence. All the intelligence gathered by US and Israeli spy agencies so far indicates that Iran’s military nuclear program was shut down way back in 2003.

Iranian officials have repeatedly promised an imminent retaliation to every country that dares to attack Iran.