February 11, 2009 5:27 PM
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Iran Warns Of Possible Faceoff With U.S.
Iran conducted missile tests Monday as its leadership stepped up warnings of possible military confrontation with the United States. Hard-liners said an American attack would spark "hell" for the United States and Israel, with some threatening suicide attacks against U.S. forces.
The drum-beating suggests Iran does not intend to back down as tensions mount on both fronts of its confrontation with the United States and the West — the nuclear issue and the turmoil in neighboring Iraq.
In another defiant move, Iranian officials on Monday said Tehran had rejected 38 U.N. nuclear inspectors from a list of potential inspectors — apparently in retaliation for a Security Council resolution last month imposing limited sanctions on the country.
Others on the list would be allowed to enter the country, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said, without giving the reasons for the bans.
Iran's leaders have increasingly touted the possibility of a U.S. attack since President George W. Bush announced on Jan. 9 the deployment of a second aircraft carrier in the Gulf region, a move U.S. officials have said is a show of strength directed at Iran.
The leadership's warnings could aim to rally the public behind the government and silence increasingly bold criticism of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at home. Iranian reformers and conservatives have accused him of hurting Iran with his virulent anti-U.S. rhetoric in the nuclear standoff with the West, while failing to repair Iran's weakening economy.
"Iran is ratcheting up the pressure and showing its defiance of U.N. sanctions by conducting missile tests and blocking inspectors," says CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk, "but Ahmadinejad is beginning to feel the heat at home."
"The Security Council gave Iran 60 days to comply back in December," said Falk, "and is now discussing next steps, ones that will take more of a toll on Iran's economy."
In a significant move, a paper close to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday joined the voices threatening retaliation for any U.S. military action — suggesting the highest levels are involved in ringing the alarm over the American deployment.
The top editor of the Keyhan daily warned that Iran will turn the Middle East into "hell" if America takes military action against Iran.
"The U.S. military is within our range both on the east and the west," Hossein Shariatmadari wrote. "With missiles fired from Iran, Israel will turn into a scorching hell for the Zionists."
Shariatmadari, who was named to his post by Khamenei, also warned that Iran could block oil through the strategic Hormuz Strait at the mouth of the Gulf if the United States initiates a war.
The Iranian military on Monday began five days of maneuvers near the northern city of Garmsar, about 62 miles southeast of Tehran, state television reported. The military tested its Zalzal-1 and Fajr-5 missiles, the TV reported.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The drum-beating suggests Iran does not intend to back down as tensions mount on both fronts of its confrontation with the United States and the West — the nuclear issue and the turmoil in neighboring Iraq.
In another defiant move, Iranian officials on Monday said Tehran had rejected 38 U.N. nuclear inspectors from a list of potential inspectors — apparently in retaliation for a Security Council resolution last month imposing limited sanctions on the country.
Others on the list would be allowed to enter the country, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said, without giving the reasons for the bans.
Iran's leaders have increasingly touted the possibility of a U.S. attack since President George W. Bush announced on Jan. 9 the deployment of a second aircraft carrier in the Gulf region, a move U.S. officials have said is a show of strength directed at Iran.
The leadership's warnings could aim to rally the public behind the government and silence increasingly bold criticism of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at home. Iranian reformers and conservatives have accused him of hurting Iran with his virulent anti-U.S. rhetoric in the nuclear standoff with the West, while failing to repair Iran's weakening economy.
"Iran is ratcheting up the pressure and showing its defiance of U.N. sanctions by conducting missile tests and blocking inspectors," says CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk, "but Ahmadinejad is beginning to feel the heat at home."
"The Security Council gave Iran 60 days to comply back in December," said Falk, "and is now discussing next steps, ones that will take more of a toll on Iran's economy."
In a significant move, a paper close to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday joined the voices threatening retaliation for any U.S. military action — suggesting the highest levels are involved in ringing the alarm over the American deployment.
The top editor of the Keyhan daily warned that Iran will turn the Middle East into "hell" if America takes military action against Iran.
"The U.S. military is within our range both on the east and the west," Hossein Shariatmadari wrote. "With missiles fired from Iran, Israel will turn into a scorching hell for the Zionists."
Shariatmadari, who was named to his post by Khamenei, also warned that Iran could block oil through the strategic Hormuz Strait at the mouth of the Gulf if the United States initiates a war.
The Iranian military on Monday began five days of maneuvers near the northern city of Garmsar, about 62 miles southeast of Tehran, state television reported. The military tested its Zalzal-1 and Fajr-5 missiles, the TV reported.
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Scott Conroy Scott Conroy is a National Political Reporter for RealClearPolitics and a contributor for CBS News.
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