Baseless claims that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon, which have been debunked by a classified CIA draft, and an overemphasis of Iranian support for Iraqi militants have lead senior US officials to develop contingency plans for airstrikes on Iran which extend beyond its nuclear plants. The attack plans include most of the country’s military infrastructure, including Iranian air bases, naval bases, missile facilities, and command-and-control centers.

The administration’s desire to attack Iran goes as far back as 2002 when President Bush indicated that he wanted to war with the entire region, and not be held back by borders. In August of 2006, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh revealed how Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah was being used as “a prototype for a potential US preemptive attack to destroy Iran’s nuclear installations.” Cooperation between Israel and the US Air Force during this time allowed for the exchange of information on how to carry out a campaign against Iran using an Iranian-backed group such as Hezbollah as a demo. In January, Israeli military sources said they were planning to destroy Iran’s enrichment facilities with Israeli nuclear weapons. At this point it seems the US will be directly involved in the strikes, instead of relying on Israel to carry out their dirty work.

A high-casualty attack on US forces in Iraq could trigger a bombing campaign if that incident were successfully blamed on the Iranian government. The less likely event which could also trigger the attack plan would be the confirmation that Iran is indeed developing a nuclear weapon. Ordinary Iranians are concerned that there are now two possible triggers for war, both of which could be easily manufactured through the manipulation of intelligence.

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