Ahmadinejad: US lies about Iran

Iran's President Ahmadinejad says the US claim that Iran poses a threat to the Persian Gulf states is nothing but a meaningless lie. “Iran's stance toward its neighboring countries is one of leniency and mutual respect,” said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while addressing a meeting of the country's envoys to the Persian Gulf states. Ahmadinejad added that the US was pressuring the Persian Gulf countries to rethink their close ties with Iran. The Iranian president also said that the necessary preparations had to be made for 'a world after the fall of the American empire', predicting that 'the US hegemony in the Middle East' would soon come to an end. Ahmadinejad's comments come as speculations grow about a possible conflict between Israel and Iran, following an Israeli maneuver off the shores of the Mediterranean in early June, and the more recent Iranian missile tests.

Iran test-fires surface-to-sea missile

Iran has test-fired surface-to-sea missiles over the Persian Gulf during a military maneuver code-named the Great Prophet III. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully test-fired the missiles with a range of 350 kilometers during its large-scale military maneuver on Thursday the Fars News Agency reported on Friday. On Thursday, IRGC forces also test fired the 'Hoot Torpedo', which "only two world countries are capable of building." The IRGC also fired nine long and medium range missiles on Wednesday. IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad-Ali Jafari said on Thursday that the recent military exercise was aimed at showing the nation's military might to the enemies and improving the Iranian readiness for a rapid and powerful reaction to threats. The military maneuvers are underway amid reports that the US and Israel might launch a military attack against Iran over its nuclear program.

US relocates warship after Iran warning

The Pentagon has moved an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf after Iran warned US ships would come under fire if they attack the country. A US Navy official speaking on condition of anonymity said Tuesday that the US Naval Forces Central Command moved the USS Abraham Lincoln to the Arabian Sea. "This is not a move in preparation for an attack on Iran. We're simply repositioning the capabilities to support the commanders on the ground down there," AFP quoted the unnamed official as saying. The announcement came shortly after Iran warned Tuesday that should Israel and the US attack the country, they would end up burning in the flames of the fire they ignited. "If Washington and Tel Aviv are foolish enough to even consider attacking Iran, our initial response would be to target Israel and set the US navy in the Persian Gulf ablaze," said the Leader's representative to the IRGC naval forces Ali Shirazi. This is while Washington and Tel Aviv continue to beat the drums of war against Iran over its nuclear program, accusing the country of developing a nuclear bomb. Tel Aviv has threatened Tehran with the use of force should the Islamic Republic continue uranium enrichment. According to a New York Times report, Israel staged a military maneuver in early June to prepare for a unilateral air strike on Iranian nuclear sites. Tehran insists its nuclear program is directed at generating electricity and is in line with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (IRGC ). The most recent IRGC nuclear watchdog report concluded that there is no link between the use of nuclear material and the 'alleged studies' of weaponization in Iranian nuclear facilities.