Germany warns western media against debating strike on Iran

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned on Monday against a debate about a military strike against Iran, stressing that such reports strengthen the leadership of the Islamic Republic rather than weakening it."I warn against floating the idea of military options," Westerwelle said in an interview with a local newspaper, the Hamburger Abendblatt. "These are debates...that strengthen the Iranian leadership rather than weaken it." He made the comments several days after the Israeli media was widely speculating on the possibility that Israel will strike Iran's nuclear program. The speculations were based on unverified claims that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have been lobbying for ministerial support for the strike. The Israeli government has reportedly ordered a probe into leaks to the media which caused these unbridled speculations. Iranian officials have dismissed the threats, but meantime, warned that Tehran would give a crushing response to any aggressive move. "Today Iran's powerful forces are stronger than the past and the alien forces are well aware that any illegal and adventurist action against the Islamic Republic will face a crushing response," Deputy Head of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces for Logistic and Industrial Research General Mohammad Hejazi told FNA on Wednesday. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday the US and Israel are seeking to rally international support for an attack on Tehran because Iran is a very powerful country with huge capacities and capabilities and the US and Israel are unable to wage an attack on the country alone. Ahmadinejad, in an interview with Egypt's state-owned Al-Akhbar newspaper, lashed out at Israel after the Zionist regime's president, Shimon Peres, warned at the weekend that an attack on Iran is becoming increasingly likely. Israel, Iran's arch-enemy, is "bound to collapse", Ahmadinejad said. "Iran's capabilities are increasing and it is progressing, and for that reason it has been able to compete in the world. Now Israel and the West, particularly America, fear Iran's capabilities and role," he said. "Therefore they are trying to gather international support for a military operation to stop (Iran's) role. The arrogance should know that Iran will not allow them to take any action against it," he said.