Pentagon Has 3-Day Blitz Plan for Iran

The United States has a "shock and awe" plan designed to annihilate Iran's military, in the event of an attack.

According to the Sunday Times of London, the plan calls for massive airstrikes against 1,200 targets in Iran, over three days.

Alexis Debat, director of terrorism and national security at the Nixon Center, told the Times that U.S. military planners were not preparing for “pinprick strikes” against Iran’s nuclear facilities. “They’re about taking out the entire Iranian military. ... Whether you go for pinprick strikes or all-out military action, the reaction from the Iranians will be the same.”

President Bush has accused Iran of putting the Middle East “under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust" because of its nuclear program. He has warned that the U.S. and its allies would confront Iran “before it is too late." One Washington source told the Time that the “temperature was rising” inside the administration.

Bush is committed for now to the diplomatic route but thinks Iran is moving towards acquiring a nuclear weapon. According to one well placed source, Washington believes it would be prudent to use rapid, overwhelming force, should military action become necessary.

Israel, which has warned it will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, has made its own preparations for airstrikes and is said to be ready to attack if the Americans back down.