US spells out plan to bomb Iran

[ADd]

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/62043.html

Originally Posted by Ian Bruce, Defence Correspondent

The US is updating contigency plans for a non-nuclear strike to cripple Iran's atomic weapon programme if international diplomacy fails, Pentagon sources have confirmed.
Strategists are understood to have presented two options for pinpoint strikes using B2 bombers flying directly from bases in Missouri, Guam in the Pacific and Diego Gracia in the Indian Ocean.
RAF Fairford in Gloucester also has facilities for B2s but this has been ruled out because of the UK's opposition to military action against Tehran. The main plan calls for a rolling, five-day bombing campaign against 400 key targets in Iran, including 24 nuclear-related sites, 14 military airfields and radar installations, and Revolutionary Guard headquarters....

Although this is a contigency plan, it looks like they may be prepared to 'go it alone', or perhaps it is brinkmanship?

[Paul K]

You'll probably find that they have "plans" to bomb pretty much any country capable of being a threat Just like this country plans for certain contingencies and have various "scenarios" planned out and investigated.
By making it public though they are playing a dangerous game with Iran

[etccarmageddon]

why do you consider making it public a dangerous game?

[Russ]

RAF Fairford in Gloucester also has facilities for B2s but this has been ruled out because of the UK's opposition to military action against Tehran.

All Dubya has to do is say the word and Blair will rescind this.

[etccarmageddon]

I think they put these stories out as a smoke screen as the real plan is probably completely different.

[TheBlueRaja]

WHOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

This maybe?

[bwoodcrew]

is it possible that the invasion of iran is merely for builiding an oil pipeline from landlocked afghanistan to the caspian sea in order to transport the resource?

[AndrewJ]

I think more likely the USA is trigger happy.

[BBKing]

There's no oil in Afghanistan. However, there's a lot of oil (and gas) north of it, but it's apparently planned to be piped through Afghanistan and Pakistan, nice stable countries there.

There won't be an invasion of Iran, anyway, they haven't got the troops, it's four times the size of Iraq with three times the population, almost all of whom will defend their country. Can't be done.

The US seems to be backing away from military action - there's a surprising sense of reality in the White House and Pentagon these days (well, not the Pentagon perhaps) caused by diving opinion polls and approaching mid-term elections.