Report by US defense officials says Iran's military no match for US.
By JPOST.COM STAFFGates points 311(photo credit: Associated Press)
Iran may develop missiles capable of reaching the US by 2015, according to a report delivered to Congress Monday night.“With sufficient foreign assistance, Iran could probably develop and test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the United States by 2015,” stated the report by the US Department of Defense.It added that “Iran’s nuclear program and its willingness to keep open the possibility to develop nuclear weapons is a central part of its deterrent strategy.”The report indicated that while Iran had a sizable conventional military force, it would be no match for a “well-trained, sophisticated military such as that of the United States or its allies” in the event of armed conflict.The report also noted duplicitous behavior by Iran in Iraq andAfghanistan, where Teheran pledged to promote stability but all thewhile continued to support insurgents and terrorist groups inside bothcountries.On Sunday, US Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs ofStaff, said that an American strike on Iran would go “a long way”toward delaying the country’s nuclear program.Britain’s Telegraph newspaper reported that Mullen,speaking at a forum in Columbia University, said a military strike wasthe “last option,” but plans for such a contingency had been made.
