Khamenei fears U.S. invasion of Iran

Press, 25 September 1987, Page 6

Khamenei fears U.S. invasion of Iran

NZPA-Reuter

Washington

Iran’s President, Ali Khamenei, said yesterday that he feared United States actions in the Gulf would lead to an American invasion of his country.

“The presence of the United States in the Persian Gulf is a sign of war,” he said on ABC’s “Nightline” television programme. “All these battleships and the great Armada there are not for defence, they are for invasion,” he said. In the interview he appeared to retreat from Iran’s flat denial that the Iranian ship attacked by a United States helicopter on Monday was laying mines in the Gulf. He said United States forces could have stopped any mine-

laying without firing. He said the American forces could not have seen mine-laying operations at night as they said they did with night-vision devices, and said the mines shown aboard the ship on United States television could have been put there by United States forces. “Is the only way to stop laying of mines to attack and kill people? Couldn’t they surround it and stop it?” he asked. He was asked if Iran considered itself at war with the United States be-

cause of Monday’s attack, which Washington says killed three Iranians. “No,” he replied. “But we have the anxiety that the United States Government may bring us to that point.” “As you know big events usually start with very little things,” he said at another point. “Therefore we say at this moment that this danger (of war) does exist.” “I am sure that the prospect of this action will not be pleasant for the American people because I am sure that they still

remember the bitter memories of Vietnam Mr Khamenei also said, without elaborating, that the United States Government was vulnerable. “Being big does not mean you are not vulnerable,” he said. “And I tell you that the United States Government is very vulnerable, especially in the Persian Gulf.” Mr Khamenei was in the United States for an address to the United Nations on Tuesday in which he warned that Iran would retaliate for the attack.