Iran Guard says U.S., UK, Israel "axis of evil"
Pastor Dale Morgan
Monday January 15, 2:40 AM Reuters
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Iran Guard says U.S., UK, Israel "axis of evil"
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TEHRAN (Reuters) - The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on
Sunday the United States, Britain and Israel were an "axis of evil"
trying to drive a wedge between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims.
U.S. President George W. Bush originally labelled Iran, North Korea and
Iraq -- before U.S. troops invaded -- as part of an "axis of evil".
Washington accuses Iran of backing terrorism and trying to build atomic
bombs, charges Tehran denies.
"America, Britain and the Zionist regime (Israel) are an axis of evil
against the Islamic world and the whole of humanity," Guards
Commander-in-Chief Yahya Rahim Safavi was quoted as saying by Iran's
student news agency ISNA.
"They are trying to make enmity among Islamic countries and to make
divisions among Shi'ites and Sunnis," he said.
He was echoing comments by other Iranian officials who have accused
Washington of stoking sectarian tensions in Iraq where the majority of
Iraqis are Shi'ite Muslims, like most Iranians. Washington blames Iran
for fuelling violence in Iraq.
"Our powerful country does not worry about American and Zionist regime
threats and in case of any kind of attack by intruders, we are able to
defeat them," he added.
A British newspaper this month said Israel had drawn up secret plans to
destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities -- the part of Iran's
nuclear programme that most worries the West -- using tactical nuclear
weapons. Israel would not comment on the story, which touched on its
assumed atomic arsenal.
The United States has said it wants to resolve Iran's nuclear dispute
with West diplomatically, but has refused to rule out using force if
diplomacy fails.