Iran Vows To Hit Back If U.S. Attacks

Khamenei Says If Iran Is Attacked It Will Strike U.S. Interests Around The World

(CBS/AP)  Iran's supreme leader said Thursday that if the United States were to attack Iran, the country would respond by striking U.S. interests all over the world — the latest sharp exchange in an escalating standoff between the two countries.

The comments by Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei came the same day that another top official, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Javad Zarif, warned in a column in The New York Times that efforts to isolate Iran would backfire on the United States, increasing sectarian tensions in the volatile Middle East, including Iraq.

The United States and Iran have been in an increasingly tense standoff over Iran's nuclear program. The tensions have worsened recently because of U.S. allegations of Iranian influence in Iraq.

The United States has denied it has any plans to strike Iran militarily but has sent an additional aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf in what U.S. officials call an effort to show strength in the face of rising Iranian regional influence.

Speaking to a gathering of Iranian air force commanders, Khamenei said: "The enemy knows well that any invasion would be followed by a comprehensive reaction to the invaders and their interests all over the world."

But one Iran expert believes Khamenei's remarks may be motivated primarily by domestic politics.

Bernie Kaussler, an associate fellow at the University of St. Andrews' Institute for Iranian Studies, tells CBSNews.com that Iran's supreme leader may be more interested in satisfying his core supporters than going to war with America.

Khamenei has been frequently at odds with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — whose fiery anti-U.S. rhetoric and aggressive politics with the West has represented a sharp divergence from Iranian policy of recent years.

Khamenei's own stance may more accurately reflect the will of the majority of Iranians; a desire to maintain the "political status quo, and not export the Islamic revolution," according to Kaussler.

But both men have to keep a very influential, and large, conservative religious constituency happy, and taking a tough stance on the U.S. is an effective means of achieving this goal.

In another sign of the tensions with the U.S., Iran's intelligence minister said Thursday the government had detected a network of U.S. and Israeli spies and had detained a second group of people who planned to go abroad for espionage training, state television reported. It gave few details.

The allegation comes just a few days after an Iranian diplomat was detained in Baghdad in an incident that Iran blamed on U.S. forces. The Americans have denied involvement in the diplomat's detention.

[reel-crazy]

Let me see if I have this psycho's comments straight...

If you hit me, I hit you all over.
It's ok for me to hit you in Iraq.
It's not ok for you to hit me when in Iraq.

Someone please call Lewis Black and have him sort this madness out for us.

[beehive21-2009]

Why wait nuke em,before the runaway punks nuke us.We are sick of this BS hit em hard .Let us teach the killing machines some respect we must hit em, waste no time .You ever notice they all hang together .if one is off they're all off,at bomb making school ? Let there be no mistake we shall hang all you who tread against us .

[cantshutup]

we live in a ******* up world

[feelfree1]

patriot75,

Re: "but we don't go to war with a country that WE KNOW has WMDs including nukes, a nutjob for a leader"

Are you talking about Israel or Pakistan?

[lars008-2009]

Terrorism Awareness Project to wake up Americans
http://www.terrorismawareness.org/
http://www.terrorismawareness.org/islamic-mein-kampf

buy yourself a sense of humor you fascist nazi Islamic muslims%u2026
http://www.henryk-broder.de/tagebuch/karikaturisten.html

[lars008-2009]

stupid fascist nazi islamic muslims.......... you cannot threaten to do what you are already doing...........

[lars008-2009]

We do use books that call Jews 'apes' admits head of Islamic school
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23384657-details/We%20do%20use%20books%20that%20call%20Jews%20'apes'%20admits%20head%20of%20Islamic%20school/article.do?expand=true#StartComments

[tbweb]

Iran needs to take a page from the N Korean book and come back to reality, come back to its senses! The world needs to take notice at what the Iranian leaders are saying! Iran is threatening to cross any countrys border, violate its laws and export terror to get back at Americans! Iran is also threatening to blow up oil tankers and disrupt the worlds oil supply no matter who owns those tankers! Listen to these nuts!! Does the world seriously want nuclear power in the hands of these fanatical extremist? Can you imagine Iranian threats if Iran has nukes? The world better wake up before its too late and stop the Iranian mad men!!

[shingles1]

"Iran is threatening to cross any countrys border, violate its laws and export terror to get back at Americans! Iran is also threatening to blow up oil tankers and disrupt the worlds oil supply no matter who owns those tankers!"

Yeah, they're threatening to get back at the US ONLY IF THE US ATTACKS. Not if the US DOESN'T attack.

Simply question: What would the US do if we were attacked by another country? We'd retaliate. In a heartbeat. We'd cross ANY border, because we'd have to.

This is what nations do. The only difference is that the rest of the world KNOWS that we would respond with overpowering firepower, so there's no need for us to announce it from every street corner. Smaller countries feel like they HAVE TO announce it since they don't have much else going for them (ie., no real deterrence to speak of).

[shingles1]

You also seem to not realize that both Iran and the US are supporting the SAME government in Iraq.

You want to deal with the attacks on Americans - go after the Saudis who are funding the Sunni militants.

[tbweb]

The worlds problems can be solved overnight if Russia, China and the United States form a united front and confront the world issues together! It's only because Iran, N Korea and Venezuela can play the big dogs against each other that all this nonsense is going on! If the Russians, Chinese and Americans got together and put their differences aside, all this nonsense would stop in a heart beat! No country would be willing to take on all 3 at the same time!!

[tbweb]

-- shingles1

Like someone already correctly pointed out, how can Iran threaten to do something its already doing? Iran already has American blood on its hands in Iraq, providing sophisticated bomb technology to insurgents. Iran may be supporting the Iraqi government, but its hatred for America has it being 2 faced and killing Iraqis too when it serves their agenda! The United States is forced to respond with knowledge and proof that Iran is killing Americans. Iran has backed the US into a corner forcing a response, no one can kill Americans with impunity! Iranian weapons with Iranian serial numbers have been found in Iraq, Iranian involvement in killing Americans is no longer speculation! Iran drew 1st blood and has only itself to blame if America strikes back!