A Pentagon panel has been created to plan an attack on Iran that could be implemented within 24 hours of getting the nod from President George W. Bush, The New Yorker magazine has reported in its latest edition.
The special planning group was established within the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in recent months, according to a former U.S. intelligence official cited in the article. The panel initially focused on destroying Iranian nuclear facilities and on regime change but has more recently been directed to identify targets that may be involved in supplying or aiding armed groups in Iraq.
The report said that U.S. military and special-operations teams had crossed the border from Iraq into Iran in pursuit of Iranian operatives.
In response to the report, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said: "The United States is not planning to go to war with Iran. To suggest anything to the contrary is simply wrong, misleading and mischievous.
"The United States has been very clear with respect to its concerns regarding specific Iranian government activities. The president has repeatedly stated publicly that this country is going to work with allies in the region to address those concerns through diplomatic efforts," Whitman said.
The article, citing unnamed current and former U.S. officials, also said the Bush administration received intelligence from Israel that Iran had developed an intercontinental missile capable of delivering several small warheads that could reach Europe. It added the validity of that intelligence was still being debated.
