BACKING OFF, IRAN DENIES DEFENCE MINISTER MENACED ISRAEL.
TEHRAN - First of January 2001 (IPS) Iranian Defence Minister denied he had granted an interview to a Lebanese newspaper in which he had "promised" Israel an "astounding and unexpected reprisal" in case it attacked Lebanon or Syria.
"If Israel were to attack Syria or Lebanon, Iran would retaliate in an
"astounding and unexpected way", Admiral Ali Shamkhani said in remarks
published Saturday simultaneously by the Lebanese "Al Mustaqbal", the
Kuwaiti "Al Watan" and Radio Orient.
"Iran would not leave its strategic ally Syria or Lebanon to face Israeli attacks alone. This is very normal and our response would be astounding and unexpected'', he was quoted as saying.
"Not all what is known could be said, and not all what is said is reported'', Mr. Shamkhani, a revolutionary guards officer, had replied, when asked what form the retaliation might take, according to the three media.
Mr. Shamkhani’s threats to Israel were the second made in a week marked by the "historic" visit paid to Iran by the Russian Defence Minister Marshal Igor Sergeyev resulting in a marked increase in military, political, defence and intelligence co-operation between the two sides.
Though no contracts were signed during the three days visit, but military experts said Moscow banks on selling modern warfare, including Mig-31 fighters, Sukhoy-25 bombers, helicopter gun ships and T-72 tanks worth between 3 to 7 US $ billions.
Commander of the revolutionary guards Yahya Rahim-Safavi had earlier, and in the same week, menaced the Jewish State with missile attacks.
Iran is believed to be developing ballistic missiles of the Shahab-3 type, based on Russian and North Korean technologies, with a range of between 700 to 1.200 kilometres capable of carrying small nuclear warhead.
"If Israel were to menace Iran’s vital security and interests, we would deal it such a daring blow with our missiles that it would never ever recover", General Rahim-Savafi had warned.
However, Iranian media, being censored by the officials, did not publish his remarks, made to the independent Iranian Students News Agency "ISNA".
Not only the Islamic Republic does not recognise Israel, but its leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i routinely calls for the total destruction of the Jewish State he describes as a "cancer tumour planted in the middle of Muslims dominated Middle East by Britain and the United States.
Experts said unprecedented threats by Iranian high-ranking military officials against Israel would increase pressures on Russia by Washington and Tel-Aviv alleging that closer military co-operation between Tehran and Moscow endangers security of Israel as well as other moderate governments in the region.
Moscow cancelled last November a five-year agreement worked out between outgoing US vice-president Al Gore with former Russian Premier Viktor Chernomyerdin imposing a moratorium on Russian arms sale to Iran.
Iran welcomed as "courageous" President Vladimir Putin’s decision, saying it proved "independent nations could decide on their own against interference by other intruders", a reference to the United States inroads in Central Asia.
Highly informed sources said the denial was issued after a reportedly angry President, Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Khatami blamed the Minister over his "unconsidered remarks".
But observers said the denial only concerns Al Mustaqbal, but not the content, as other Arab media using the same correspondent also published the interview.
The Defence Ministry in fact rejected as "sheer lie" what "Al Mustaqbal" had published, ignoring other media that printed the same interview.
Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted the Defence Ministry as saying that Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani "had not granted any interview to Al-Mustaqbal".
But the paper, owned by Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, insisted however that its report was correct.
"Our report is correct and we have just spoken to our correspondent, who is also the correspondent of Radio Orient. He told us that a similar Iranian statement against Israeli threats was published in the Tehran Times today"," observed a spokesman for the Lebanese paper told Reuters, the British agency that had carried the interview as published by Al-Mustaqbal.
Syria is the non Arab Islamic Republic’s only ally in the Arab world that from the outset of Iran-Iraq war, backed Iran against Baghdad. ENDS SHAMKHANI THREATS 1101