A diplomat based in Islamabad said on Sunday that an Israeli attack on Iran would force Pakistan to support a Iranian response, according to the Israeli website Ynetnews.com.
The diplomat did not say if the Pakistani retaliation would be diplomatic or involve a conventional military or nuclear response.
Although estimates of Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile vary, it is believed the Islamic country has between 70 and 90 warheads. In 2000, U.S. military and intelligence sources put the number at 100. In 2007, retired PakistaniBrigadier-General Feroz Khan told a Pakistani newspaper that his country has “about 80 to 120 genuinewarheads.”
Pakistan also has a number of delivery system for its nuclear weapons, including thermonuclear MIRV-equipped medium range ballistic missiles with ranges up to 2500 kilometers. It also has cruise missiles and is believed to be working on tactical nuclear weapons.
In August of 2011, it was reported that theUnited States considers Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal a threat and it has a “snatch-and-grab” plan for a worse case scenario.
Both Russia and China have said that an attack on Iran would be an attack on their national security.
“Iran is our close neighbor, just south of the Caucasus. Should anything happen to Iran, should Iran get drawn into any political or military hardships, this will be a direct threat to our national security,” Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s deputy prime minister and former envoy to NATO, said in mid-January.
“China will not hesitate to protect Iran even with a third world war,” said Major General Zhang Zhaozhong in December.
Related articles:
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
That being so, will America and Israel be so foolhardy as to attack sovereign Iran and risk destroying civilisation, which has evolved over billions of years, as we know it and destroy the earth at the same time?
What earthly or Godly right has America and Israel got to put us all in this harmful and extremely dangerous scenario? Even the rumours of war and war games have already pushed the price of oil up and created hardship for the whole of humanity.
Don’t these countries have any morals and ethics?
The chain of unforeseen consequences of an unprovoked attack on Iran is huge, and much of Washington is completely in denial about the dangers to both U.S. and Israeli national security.
One of the very possible dangers is provoking an Iranian-Pakistani alliance. A Pakistani-Iranian military alliance against U.S. influence in Central Asia would constitute a major strategic defeat for the American Superpower, consolidating a geographic continuous region of 250 million people with nuclear arms, perceived common grievances against the U.S., and compatible economic interests (Pakistan needs Iranian gas). Both Iraq and Afghanistan would most likely “lean to the Pakistani-Iranian side,” resulting in a population equal to that of the U.S. In the aftermath of an attack on Iran, an angry Turkey might not be far behind, and the impact on Pakistan’s Saudi ally would be hard to predict. Intentionally provoking such a scenario would, for U.S. decision-makers, rival the late Roman Empire’s decision to attempt the conquest of Germany. This defeat would be far more serious than the collapsed occupation of Iraq, the rise of Hezbollah to power in Lebanon, the alienation of Egypt, and the looming defeat in Afghanistan combined. Beijing and Moscow would have trouble hiding their derisive laughter. Now this possibility is no longer just the vision of Pakistani academics; now it is official: Islamabad has warned us. And Washington is risking this huge strategic defeat to mollify an extremist faction in Israel that cannot obtain the support or even the public silence of its own national security officials.
I guess the American military powers that be never ever contemplate that it can be defeated as they think they are invincible with so many other nations it has interfered with and invaded with impunit , so far.
They will never learn the lessons of history until it is too late.
Go for for it, America and may God be with you!
i want to see america attack iran to defend the americans. isnt that what we are fighting for. american and israel should attack iran and finish them other countries like china, russia, turkey, they are all just talk no action they are mostly scared after all they should know who is boss and running the show….
Wow, here is another American Super-Patriot challenging the war weary to greater conquests.
What a pity he is not working in the Pentagon helping to map out the 21st American Century to greater glory of conquests.
Speaking about just talk and no action, where are the balls of all the American talks and threats upon threats to walk the walk? If America is sure of itself and feels so invincible, why no action so far?
Could it be the world is looking at a toothless tiger or tigers here?