But that news is actually three decades old. And Iran’s senior military officer uttered words that to many seemed to threaten Israel with attack, but actually did not.
US Ambassador Dan Shapiro said in a speech in Israel last week: “It would be preferable to resolve this [dispute with Iran] diplomatically and through the use of pressure rather than the use of military force. But that doesn’t mean that [military] option is not fully available—not just available, but it’s ready. The necessary planning has been done to ensure that it’s ready.”
That drew shocked remarks and visions of impending war from many. The Daily Telegraph in London, which like much of the London media is constantly carrying war stories, led off its report of Shapiro’s speech: “The United States has acknowledged the existence of a fully-fledged military plan to attack Iran, significantly increasing tensions with Tehran.”
But the United States has had war plans for Iran since 1980, after the US embassy hostages were seized. US officials have often commented that the plan is periodically updated.
Reportedly, the war plans didn’t get as much attention over the past decade as the US Central Command, which is in charge of war planning for Iran, was pre-occupied with Afghanistan and Iraq.
But recent news reports said the Central Command war planners are now focused on the Iran planning as US troops have left Iraq and are soon to phase down in Afghanistan.
Actually, US war plans for moving troops through Iran date back more than a half century. Before the revolution, the US had detailed plans for landing troops in Iran from the Persian Gulf and moving north to joined up with the Iranian Army to confront any Soviet invasion.
In Iran, Maj. Gen. Hassan Firuzabadi, the highest military officer as chief of the Joint Staff, drew much attention with what some thought was a threat by Iran to annihilate Israel. But his actual language represented nothing new.
The standard rhetoric by Iran was devised in 1988 by Ayatollah Khomeini who said that Israel “must be eliminated from the page of existence.” (Iran uses the freer translation: “Israel must be wiped off the map.”)
The point is that the words sound strong but are phrased in the passive voice so as to avoid saying who will do the eliminating. Iran never threatens to eliminate Israel itself.
And Firuzabadi did not do so last week. He said: “The Iranian people will continue to stand by the cause, which is the full elimination of Israel.” But he did not say who would do the eliminating, just that the people of Iran supported the elimination of Israel.
Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that the talk from senior Israeli ministers about war with Iran have ceased since Shaul Mofaz, who opposes an attack on Iran now, joined the cabinet May 9. Two weeks have passed without any such comments from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu or Defense Minister Ehud Barak, prompting speculation that an end to such talk was part of the agreement bringing Mofaz into the cabinet.