Region | Iran
US generals to quit if Iran attack is ordered
As many as five of America's top military chiefs have indicated that they will resign if the US decides to attack Iran, according to media reports.
- Agencies
- Published: 00:00 February 26, 2007
- Iran's nuclear ambition has fuelled tension in the region for a possible war with the West. According to media reports, Israel is in talks with Pentagon to use Iraqi airspace as part of plans to attack Iranian nuclear sites.
- Image Credit: AP
Washington: Some of America’s top military chiefs have threatened to quit if the US decides to attack Iran, according to media reports.
As many as five generals and admirals have said they are willing to resign if faced with the prospect of having to approve a strike on Tehran.
The news comes as fears grow about a US attack, with Dick Cheney ramping up the rhetoric on Sunday when he said that all options “including military action” were on the table.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has also said his country would not withdraw from its nuclear path.
The London based Times newspaper says that sources with ties to British intelligence have said the depth of feeling amongst many of Americans top brass is strong.
The source said: “There is simply no stomach for it in the Pentagon, and a lot of people question whether such an attack would be effective or even possible.”
The paper also quoted a British defence source as saying: “Nobody wants to do it and it would be a matter of conscience for them. There are enough people who feel this would be an error of judgment too far for there to be resignations.”
But not everyone in the US thinks that an attack on Iran is inevitable.
General Peter Pace, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff in Washington, said recently there was “zero chance” of a war with Iran.
He also recently refuted claims by the Pentagon that Iran is supplying insurgents in Iraq with weapons, a view which has also been backed up by British intelligence officials.
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