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Last update - 16:09 30/08/2008
Top Iran general says attack on Tehran would ignite 'world war'
By Haaretz Service and The Associated Press
Tags: Iran, U.S., Israel

A senior Iranian military commander has warned that a "world war" would erupt in the event the United States or Israel launch an offensive against his country, AFP quoted the state news agency IRNA as reporting on Saturday.

"Any aggression against Iran will start a world war," deputy chief of staff for defence publicity, Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, said in a statement carried by IRNA.

The general also lashed out at "the unrestrained greed of the U.S. leadership and global Zionism," accusing Jerusalem and Washington of "gradually leading the world to the edge of a precipice."
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"It is evident that if such a challenge occurs, the fake and artificial regimes will be eliminated before anything," AFP reported Jazayeri as saying, without naming any countries.

The Islamic Republic is facing growing Western pressure to cease its nuclear energy program, which it insists is for peaceful purposes. The West fears that Iran is enriching uranium so as to manufacture atomic weapons.

Iran has increased the number of operating centrifuges at its uranium enrichment plant to 4,000, a top official said, pushing ahead with the nuclear program despite threats of new UN sanctions.

The number was up from the 3,000 centrifuges that Iran announced in November that it was operating at its plant in the central city of Natanz. Still, it is well below the 6,000 it said last year that it would operate by this summer, suggesting the program may be behind schedule.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Reza Sheik Attar, who visited Natanz last week, said Iran was preparing to install even more centrifuges. He did not offer a time frame.

The UN has imposed three rounds of sanctions on Iran for its refusal to freeze its enrichment program, which can be used to produce fuel for a nuclear reactor or the material needed for a nuclear warhead.

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      1.   World War 13:50  |  Phil 30/08/08
      2.   How can the West 13:59  |  Chris Linthwaite 30/08/08
      3.   Tremendous danger for the Jewish Diaspora..... 14:01  |  Swiss (Dino) 30/08/08
      4.   BORING TRUTH 14:16  |  Neutered Observer 30/08/08
      5.   Iran should sue the US and israel at the Hague for repeated 14:33  |  lakshmi 30/08/08
      6.   Mother of all wars 14:41  |  Lourdes 30/08/08
      7.   IT IS NO LONGER NECESSARY AT THE MOMENT 15:02  |  indrajaya 30/08/08
      8.   There is no chance of an attack upon Iran 15:02  |  Natallie Durson 30/08/08
      9.   Re: Tremendous danger 15:11  |  JonathanInTelAviv 30/08/08
      10.   honestly... 15:12  |  curious george 30/08/08
      11.   Tough decisions ahead 15:17  |  K 30/08/08
      12.   Iran is WW3 Nexus 15:31  |  Jeff 30/08/08
      13.   Keeping up appearences. 15:41  |  Stephen 30/08/08
      14.   Iran, the biggest danger to the Middle East and to the world. 15:41  |  Jean Van Daem 30/08/08
      15.   #4 Americans has not the power to stop iranian progress 15:44  |  Siad 30/08/08
      16.   Classical Swiss-European antisemitisms 16:02  |  Ehud 30/08/08
      17.   same old same old 16:03  |  smell the coffee 30/08/08
      18.   Iran Assumes it Has Friends 16:07  |  Ron 30/08/08
      19.   Cholera outbreak in Iran! 16:24  |  AY 30/08/08
      20.   Scared Israel 16:25  |  Joseph L. 30/08/08
      21.   Oil Price 16:28  |  AK 30/08/08
      22.   THERE CAN BE MORE TRANSPARENT THAN THIS 16:30  |  indrajaya 30/08/08
      23.   Swiss(Dino) 3. Worry not, stranger.. 16:37  |  Stephen 30/08/08
      24.   What Would Ignite World Peace 16:52  |  J 30/08/08
      25.   3rd WORLD WAR 16:54  |  THE TEACHER/INSTRUCT 30/08/08
      26.   get it over already 16:56  |  Jorge Benavides Sach 30/08/08
      27.   Ehud and the typical Israeli right-wing syndrom..... 16:57  |  Swiss (Dino) 30/08/08
      28.   # 18 Stephen, I don`t wanna be a scare-monger, but.... 17:22  |  Swiss (Dino) 30/08/08
      29.   IRAN `INCAPABLE` OF FIGHTING A WORLD WAR 17:29  |  david 30/08/08
      30.   Dino - Thank you for stating the obvious, but a nuclear Iran 17:31  |  David P 30/08/08
      31.   Dino on ignorance 17:31  |  zengeos 30/08/08
      32.   Pil on World War 17:39  |  zengeos 30/08/08
      33.   Can this be interpreted as Iran has the NUKE?!! 17:39  |  Persian Hero 30/08/08
      34.   Little completion to my # 27 17:41  |  Swiss (Dino) 30/08/08
      35.   What I`ve been saying for a long long time 17:47  |  ID 30/08/08
      36.   Iran`s bluster 18:14  |  Brod 30/08/08
      37.   Persian Hero #33 18:49  |  X-Military 30/08/08
      38.   Iran is in more nerve that hizb, ow ! Why don´t act instead words 18:55  |  JP 30/08/08
      39.   America will not fight for `Israel` anymore 19:19  |  observer 30/08/08
      40.   Swiss (Dino) 19:31  |  Brad 30/08/08
      41.   And a counter-attack would not ignite-world-war```? 19:45  |  Esther 30/08/08
      42.   The iranians are shaking in fear; like colibris 19:46  |  Johnny 30/08/08
      43.   ....And that World War...... 19:55  |  R 30/08/08
      44.   Arabs won`t fight for Iran 19:56  |  Joe Sittizen 30/08/08
      45.   # 30 David P 19:57  |  Swiss (Dino) 30/08/08
      46.   Persian Hero (33). Only Iran knows...? 20:00  |  Stephen 30/08/08
      47.   #45. Iran`s nuclear weapons policy is clear. It was announced... 20:23  |  ManintheMiddle 30/08/08
      48.   Swiss(Dino) An after thought 21:10  |  Stephen 30/08/08
      49.   Swiss (Dino) # 3 _ I Agree With Your Assessment About Reprisals 21:23  |  Eli 30/08/08
      50.   #39 Jews will not fight for Israel anymore 21:51  |  K 30/08/08
      51.   THEY WISH! 21:59  |  jewish doctor 30/08/08
      52.   #44 Joe Sittizen 22:07  |  ballistic 30/08/08
      53.   Natallie #8 22:49  |  Esther 30/08/08
      54.   Iran has nothing to worry about but not because of threats 23:10  |  zionist forever 30/08/08
      55.   They couldn`t beat Iraq in the 80`s 23:29  |  Robert 30/08/08
      56.   Iranian and Lebanese citizens choose monies over their own lives 23:55  |  beEzrat HaShem 30/08/08
      57.   # 40 Brad 23:56  |  Swiss (Dino) 30/08/08
      58.   TO NO 19 00:01  |  DANNY. 31/08/08
      59.   Lakshmi 00:03  |  Firefighter 31/08/08
      60.   TO 29 00:09  |  DANNY. 31/08/08
      61.   # 48 Stephen 00:14  |  Swiss (Dino) 31/08/08
      62.   #52 Ballistic 00:16  |  Firefighter 31/08/08
      63.   # 49 Eli 00:33  |  Swiss (Dino) 31/08/08
      64.   world war 3 has already started on 8/8/08 01:10  |  news nut 31/08/08
      65.   IRAN HAS TOUGH TALK -ALL PROPOGANDA 01:22  |  Dale 31/08/08
      66.   Not Now. 01:22  |  Fadi Hirz 31/08/08
      67.   Iran has lost already 01:29  |  Morris Valentine 31/08/08
      68.   Natallie`s detection system 01:31  |  Victoria 31/08/08
      69.   Indrajaya 01:36  |  Victoria 31/08/08
      70.   That is no reason NOT to attack Iran 02:21  |  Harvey 31/08/08
      71.   Ballistic 52 post reveals profound ignorance 02:36  |  Stephen in New York