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Iran is threatening to retaliate with strikes against Israel and 32 U.S. bases in the Middle East if there is an attack on the Iranian nuclear program.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's deputy, Mojtaba Zolnoor, told the Fars News agency Saturday that Iranian missiles could hit and destroy targets throughout the region.
Iran's official news agency (Islamic Republic News Agency) Saturday quoted Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki as saying Israel and the United States do not have the capability to enter what he called "another crisis."
A government spokesman, Gholam Hossein Elham, said any aggression against Iran would be madness and stupidity.
Iranian missile tests in the last week heightened concerns about Iran's nuclear activities.
The European Union expressed concern about the tests and urged Tehran to reach a negotiated solution on its nuclear program. The EU said the missile tests only compound the worries of the international community.
Iran says its top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, is to meet with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana next week to discuss a package of incentives Solana presented last month to persuade Tehran to stop its nuclear activities.
The United States says the incentives offer Iran a chance to begin nuclear negotiations without initially suspending its uranium enrichment program. Iran has offered a more general counter-proposal on ways to solve the world's problems, including the nuclear standoff.
The U.S. and its Western allies allege Iran is trying to make nuclear weapons. Tehran denies the charge.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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