|
Iran Warns U.S. Not to Violate Airspace During Afghan Strikes
TEHRAN, Oct 1 (News Agencies) - Iran will defend its airspace against any violations by U.S. planes during expected strikes against Afghanistan over the September 11th terrorist attacks, Defense Minister Admiral Ali Shamkhani warned Monday.
"We will defend our airspace and territory," Shamkhani said when asked what Iran's military response would be to violations by U.S. planes.
"We are military men, we don't joke with anyone," Shamkhani told a press conference at Tehran airport before leaving for a visit to Moscow.
Shamkhani also admitted that Iran has provided weapons to Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, and said it will continue to arm the fighters amid signs the ruling Taliban militia is losing its grip on power.
"We continue to support the Northern Alliance as in the past," Shamkhani told reporters, and simply answered "yes" to whether that meant supplying arms to the Afghan opposition.
Shamkhani also cautioned on Sunday that a stepped-up U.S. military presence in the Gulf region would have "unpredictable" consequences.
"The development and reinforcement of U.S. military forces in the region will have unpredictable consequences," the defense minister was quoted as telling the official IRNA news agency, emphasizing the tendency of the Iranian people to "non-submission to domination [and] foreign policy."
"Iran's armed forces are watching the military and political changes and evolutions in the region very carefully," he added.
Although Iran is staunchly opposed to the Taliban, it has refused to support any U.S. military strikes against its eastern neighbor in retaliation for the attacks on New York and Washington.
Shamkhani said that the United States should not offset its own security faults by attacking other cultures or civilizations, and that the global community could come together in the war on terrorism through international efforts to correctly identify those responsible for the attacks, IRNA reported.
According to CNN online reports, Iran also opposes the return of exiled Afghan king Mohammed Zahir Shah, who was ousted in 1973, and who has been selected as a figurehead for a transitional government to be set up by anti-Taliban opposition leaders if the Taliban is overthrown. CNN said that Iran fears the 86-year-old ex-king's return could arouse a pro-monarchy outlook within its Islamic republic.
The United States and London have also stepped up their sizeable forces already in the Middle East as they prepare military steps against Afghanistan for sheltering Osama bin Laden, the chief suspect in the terror attacks.
Washington has not had diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran for the past two decades and lists Tehran as a state sponsor of terrorism for its support of the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah.
|
