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Last update - 19:44 19/09/2007
Iran air force says retaliation plan ready if Israel strikes
By Yoav Stern and Zvi Barel, Haaretz Correspondents and agencies

The deputy commander of Iran's air force said Wednesday that plans have been drawn up to bomb Israel if it attacks Iran, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

"We have drawn up a plan to strike back at Israel with our bombers if this regime makes a silly mistake," deputy air force chief, General Mohammad Alavi was quoted as telling Fars in an interview.

Foreign Ministry official Yigal Palmor said the Iranian statement makes it even clearer why the international community should adopt a very firm stance vis-a-vis Iran.

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"There's no doubt that without international effort Iran will go on with all kind of threats, towards Israel and other countries as well," said Palmor. "Anybody who wishes for stability ... in the Middle East cannot but be alarmed by this speech."

Iran official has nuclear talks in Germany
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met a top Iranian security official on Wednesday for informal talks about the West's nuclear standoff with Tehran, a ministry spokesman said.

Hassan Rohani is a member of the Supreme National Security Council and Tehran's former nuclear negotiator.

"It was an informal conversation," German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger told reporters in Berlin. "They talked about bilateral questions, the role of Iran in the region and the nuclear conflict."

Jaeger gave no further details about the conversation with Rohani, who negotiated with France, Britain and Germany for two years until Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad replaced him after his election in 2005.

The U.S. and France have called for tougher sanctions against Iran for refusing to freeze its nuclear program.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice insisted on Wednesday diplomacy with "teeth" was the focus of U.S. efforts but Washington has not ruled out military action against Iran should such a route fail.

Rohani was originally planning to continue to Brussels for talks with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana but Solana's office said Rohani cancelled for "time reasons".

Western nations suspect Iran's nuclear programme is a front for developing atomic weapons. Iran rejects the charge and says its programme is only for the generation of electricity.

The United Nations Security Council has already slapped two rounds of sanctions on Iran for refusing suspend its enrichment program.

Washington is hosting a meeting of six world powers on Friday to discuss a third sanctions resolution. Some diplomats say Berlin would prefer not to rush into more sanctions.

European diplomats have often said Rohani, unlike his successor Ali Larijani, seemed committed to a deal with the West. Other Western diplomats, however, say he once publicly boasted about how he used talks with Europe to buy time to press ahead with Iran's nuclear program.

If the Security Council fails to agree on a new sanctions resolution, the French want the other 26 EU members to approve separate EU sanctions against the Islamic Republic, an idea that European diplomats say some EU countries might oppose.

Egypt FM rejects striking against Iran
Meanwhile, the Egyptian foreign minister said Wednesday that Cairo is opposed to any military action against Iran and is working on normalizing its own relations with the Islamic Republic after 28 years of frozen ties.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit's remarks come amid rising U.S. ire over Iran's nuclear program and a day after a senior Iranian delegation held a series of meetings in Egypt.

"Egypt absolutely does not agree with solving the Iranian nuclear issue by force or any military action," Aboul Gheit said.

He said, that Egypt, a key U.S. regional ally, "supports peaceful settlement for this issue through negotiations which guarantee the Iranian right to a peaceful nuclear program."

The United States alleges that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.

The Iranian delegation was led by Iran's deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi and it came in the context of what has been agreed upon between the two sides, to hold continuous talks in order to strengthen bilateral relations, the ministry statement said Tuesday.

Araghachi's visit were the first concrete step taken by Iranians to restore bilateral ties following the May announcement by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that his country was ready to open its embassy in Cairo as soon as Egypt agreed to do the same in Tehran.

Diplomatic sources in Jerusalem however believe that the two countries still are not close to renewing diplomatic ties.

Tehran cut diplomatic ties after Cairo signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1979 and provided asylum for the deposed Iranian Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Relations further deteriorated when Egypt backed Iraq during the 1980-1988 Gulf War. Since then, the two countries have had limited diplomatic contacts.

Egypt has repeatedly demanded Iran take down a large mural of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's assassin, Khaled el-Islambouli, and change the name of a street honoring him.

Several times over the last few years, Tehran has it would change the street name but to this day the image of el-Islambouli shouting behind bars marked with a Star of David looms down over the street bearing his name.

On Friday, Aboul Gheit heads to New York for a series of U.N.-related meetings and he said he might meet with Iranian ForeignMinister Manouchehr Mottaki while there.

It appears that the sudden impulse to renew diplomatic ties between the two nations was triggered by the diplomatic meetings between the U.S. and Iran over Iraqi security in Baghdad earlier this year.

A renewal of the diplomatic ties would have a vast strategic significance, turning Iran into a "legitimate" state in the Arab world at a time when Tehran is facing intense international pressure.

Furthermore, the renewal of ties with Egypt would signal that Iran does not mind that the country has signed a peace agreement with Israel.
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  1.   Last parsagraph--peace agreemen 15:12  |  Mark T 19/09/07
  2.   Iran is smarter then that 15:38  |  Mark B. 19/09/07
  3.   good joke this guy is... 15:38  |  Igor D. 19/09/07
  4.   Egypt and Israel have a peace agreement but it does not mean 15:40  |  Christian Soldier 19/09/07
  5.   Iran-Egypt Plot against Israel 15:52  |  Brod 19/09/07
  6.   Iran Is Smart But Israel Smarter 16:03  |  Yosemite 19/09/07
  7.   Ragheads don`t have a single bomber able to fly the distance 16:03  |  Absolute Sweden 19/09/07
  8.   Iranian threats. 16:07  |  David Nigel Braham 19/09/07
  9.   Iran can say all they want. Its all BS 16:10  |  Kipperraes 19/09/07
  10.   Another ME war brewing? 16:13  |  Ben Bekhor 19/09/07
  11.   Egypt and IRAN 16:35  |  Joe 19/09/07
  12.   iran will be kaparra for Israel: the regme will fall from inside 16:51  |  michel 19/09/07
  13.   Good for a chuckle 16:53  |  Existential 19/09/07
  14.   About the Iranian bombers 17:11  |  Jonathan S 19/09/07
  15.   Iran isn`t going to do SH8T.... 17:11  |  x 19/09/07
  16.   To all the laughers 17:17  |  Mark B. 19/09/07
  17.   iran 17:23  |  ari 19/09/07
  18.   # 4 The only thing you forgot.... 17:24  |  Misha 19/09/07
  19.   The Iranian Air Force Retaliation Plan? 17:24  |  Murray of Montreal 19/09/07
  20.   Mark B, you sound hopeful 17:26  |  Existential 19/09/07
  21.   To the illogical kooks 17:28  |  Lou Medel 19/09/07
  22.   Are all Arab nations paranoid??? 17:30  |  De 19/09/07
  23.   ISRAELI SPYDER IS READY FOR ARAB-IRANIAN FLYES! 17:41  |  ILSupporter 19/09/07
  24.   Iran 17:47  |  gerald 19/09/07
  25.   After the cakewalk 18:06  |  Mark Lincoln 19/09/07
  26.   #16 18:09  |  Jane 19/09/07
  27.   threats 18:14  |  Shana 19/09/07
  28.   Iran alreay has nukes 18:20  |  Talking Sense 19/09/07
  29.   Best Plan For Iranian Air Force 18:29  |  Yosemite 19/09/07
  30.   Retaliate with an Israeli embassy to Tehran 18:45  |  MGLoraine 19/09/07
  31.   The Mullah regime tries to hide in a bush of .. 18:56  |  Karl 19/09/07
  32.   Iran Threatens to Defend Itself 19:39  |  dan 19/09/07
  33.   Iran seems scared of Israel... 19:55  |  xz 19/09/07
  34.   Israeli war? 20:00  |  Realistic Arab 19/09/07
  35.   Dan, #32 20:04  |  Existential 19/09/07
  36.   Lou Medel 20:22  |  Jasmine Murphy 19/09/07
  37.   Dan 20:29  |  Albert Seligman 19/09/07
  38.   No sweat- most iranian planes fall out of the sky 20:32  |  Jonny 19/09/07
  39.   To Mark Lincoln 20:57  |  Persian Kitty 19/09/07
  40.   Looking forward to 12th October 20:58  |  Chris Linthwaite 19/09/07
  41.   To Realistic Arab 21:04  |  Persian Kitty 19/09/07
  42.   To Jonny #38 21:08  |  Persian Kitty 19/09/07
  43.   To Albert Sligman #37 21:13  |  Persian Kitty 19/09/07
  44.   Assurance of Defeat 21:15  |  Chick 19/09/07
  45.   I am moving 21:19  |  Avi Bukani 19/09/07
  46.   Shahib missles 21:22  |  steve 19/09/07
  47.   OUTDATED AIR FORCE 21:37  |  EMEKA ADIMS 19/09/07
  48.   To Steve #46 21:43  |  Persian Kitty 19/09/07
  49.   *** IRAN WILL ONLY DEFEND ITSELF!!! 22:11  |  Samy 19/09/07
  50.   #7 Absolute Sweden 22:18  |  * BEN JABO 19/09/07
  51.   for #43 Persian Kitty 22:20  |  Michael Martin-Smith 19/09/07
  52.   #11 Joe - are you the Detroit Joe? 22:24  |  * BEN JABO 19/09/07
  53.   #25 Lincoln - you`re boring 22:26  |  * BEN JABO 19/09/07
  54.   Funny Mark B 22:28  |  Jasmine Murphy 19/09/07
  55.   To Absolute Sweden 22:29  |  Jay 19/09/07
  56.   Steve #46 Good point, but 22:29  |  Al 19/09/07
  57.   #40 Linthwaite 22:29  |  * BEN JABO 19/09/07
  58.   Incorrect Headline 22:31  |  Jon 19/09/07
  59.   #41 Persian Kitty 22:32  |  * BEN JABO 19/09/07
  60.   Iran`s Mullah`s are out of control 23:32  |  The Director 19/09/07
  61.   what do you guys expect ? .. 23:44  |  Tom 19/09/07
  62.   #5 Brod - You are absolutely right - But it was the western...... 00:00  |  David Stewart. 20/09/07
  63.   #56 Ben Jabo 00:02  |  Chris Linthwaite 20/09/07
  64.   to "persian kitty and steve 00:06  |  jeff atkinson 20/09/07
  65.   A "Legitimate" State. 00:12  |  Maureen Ann 20/09/07
  66.   retaliation? Israel please attack Iran!!! 00:45  |  Christian Lebanese 20/09/07
  67.   IRAN 01:00  |  CHRIS ROBERTS 20/09/07
  68.   Wow.. this is horrible news! 01:08  |  ex Haifa citizen 20/09/07
  69.   55, Jay 01:17  |  Harry 20/09/07
  70.   IRAN 01:17  |  CHRIS ROBERTS 20/09/07
  71.   Israel 01:20  |  Zack 20/09/07
  72.   Israel, The chosen people 01:24  |  Zack 20/09/07
  73.   Chris Linthwaite # 40 01:25  |  ChanahS 20/09/07
  74.   To Chick 01:27  |  Persian Kitty 20/09/07
  75.   Criminal 01:28  |  Zack 20/09/07
  76.   Ben Jabo - at least I am not a moron 02:49  |  Mark Lincoln 20/09/07
  77.   Persian Kitty - Iranian methods 02:54  |  Mark Lincoln 20/09/07
  78.   Neocon slogans 02:55  |  Mark Lincoln 20/09/07
  79.   IRANIAN AIR FORCE 03:13  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 20/09/07