TEHRAN (Reuters) - U.S. troop movements are being monitored
by Iran using satellites and other technology and would be in
range of Iranian missiles if an attack was launched, a top
Iranian military official said.
In remarks published by Iranian newspapers on Monday, Yahya
Rahim Safavi, an advisor to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, also said he did not expect any U.S. attack because
America was too bogged down in Iraq.
Washington has refused to rule out military action against
Iran if diplomacy fails to end its atomic work, which the West
says is aimed at making bombs despite Tehran's denials.
Speculation about a U.S. attack has been spurred on by
comments by French officials who have said an extra diplomatic
push was needed to avoid the possibility of a war with Iran.
"Iran has now a strong intelligence system and missiles. We
are closely watching the foreigners' moves in neighboring
countries by highly advanced satellite technology and advanced
radars. If they enter our airspace or our territorial waters,
they will get a fair response," Rahim Safavi said.
"It seems very unlikely that foreign troops in the region
could start another attack because they have been busy with the
war in Iraq and Afghanistan and they should focus on that," he
added in comments carried by Iran Daily.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a U.S.
television interview on Sunday his country was not heading for
war with the United States.
Iranian officials regularly dismiss talk of a war, saying
U.S. and other Western states are playing "psychological" games
to make Iran give up its legitimate atomic activities.
Rahim Safavi was commander of the ideologically driven
Revolutionary Guards until September, when he was replaced and
appointed adviser to Khamenei, Iran's top authority.
"Today our missile industry is in very good shape.
Americans cannot confront our missile capabilities. Americans
should know that their 200,000 troops in Afghanistan and Iraq
are in Iran's range," the daily Tehran-e Emrooz quoted Rahim
Safavi as saying.
Iran showed off what it said were new, home-made missiles
during a military parade on Saturday.
Iran often declares it has made technological advancements
in its weaponry that could confront any U.S. military threat
but Western experts say Iranian weaponry would be no match for
American technology in any conventional war.
But they also say Iranian forces could still deliver a
punch using so-called "asymmetrical" tactics, such as
guerrilla-style attacks to disrupt shipping in the Gulf oil
shipping lanes or supporting insurgents against U.S. forces in
Iraq or elsewhere.
Washington already accuses Iran of backing militants in
Iraq although Tehran denies the charge and says violence in its
neighbor is the result of the U.S. occupation which should end.