Intelligence Minister Ali Younessi said at a recent news conference with Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)  ("We are eagerly looking for the Americans commandos to come to Iran since they are chicks which would rapidly be picked up by our eagles,")  Younessi was responding to questions regarding multiple American news reports, that American special forces have been in and are planning future reconnaissance missions inside Iran for future targeting purposes.

The Iranian government has taken the position that the U.S. is not in any condition to launch any military strike inside Iran, a notion fueled by the belief that the U.S. does not have the capacity or reserves to launch any such offensive. This is mostly based on the logic that American forces are tied up in knots with Iraq and Afghanistan. An assertion that is more of wishful thinking than an actuality.

The Bush administration has made it abundantly clear that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. It is believed that Iran has other ideas though.  Reportedly, Iran has been racing to achieve the technology. In the belief that once they have it, the dynamics will have changed to their benefit. Their prevailing thinking is the end result would give them more lethal military powers from which they can use as a deterrent and when need be, use it as a offensive weapon that could hit Israel in the event any military action is imminent or taken upon Iran.

Iran already has the means in which to deliver a nuclear payload with their Shehab III (improved version) missile which reportedly has a range in excess of 800 miles (1300 kilometers). The technologies provided to them to build the missile has been from North Korea and the Russian Federation. The improvements which perfected the missile has been attributed to the assistance of Russian technology.

According to the news source debka.org, on Jan. 14, 2005, Russia has secretly installed advanced anti-air radar at Iran’s Bushehr reactor and Isfahan uranium enrichment site. As they had with Iraq, Russia has monetary and strategic partnership with Iran. Similarly Syria. One could expect that Vladimir Putin will no doubt, react in the same manner as he did with Iraq in the early events leading up to the beginning of the Iraq war, should the need to take military action against Iran ever arise. However, it should also be noted there is a difference this time, Putin is already active. TW 1/24/2005