Iranian ships take part in a naval war game in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz in April.

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August 18, 2010

The head of the operations department of Iran’s armed forces, Ali Shadmani, says Tehran has in place to confront “any possible aggression” against the country. He said implementing any of the plans would “undoubtedly” bring the country’s enemy to its knees.

Closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz and taking it fully under Iran’s control would be the first measure, he said.

The second measure, he said, would deal with U.S. troops based in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We are closely monitoring the U.S. forces bases in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Shadmani said in comments posted on the Tabnak website. “Therefore, if they take any measures against our country, we will paralyze the forces in these bases and will not let them make any moves.”

And the third measure Iran would take in case of attack, according to Shadmani?

“Israel is the U.S.A.’s backyard. Therefore, we will destroy the peace at that backyard,” he said. “The U.S.A. and Israel know very well that we are capable of doing so.”

The comments come amid speculation about a possible Israeli attack against Iran’s suspect nuclear facilities.

“The Atlantic,” a respected U.S. magazine, that the odds of an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities within the next year have risen to above 50 percent.

– Golnaz Esfandiari