London: Stepping up its preparations for
a possible strike on Iran`s nuclear facilities, the United
States is transporting hundreds of 387 `bunker-buster` bombs
to its air base on the British island of Diego Garcia in the
Indian Ocean, a media report has claimed.
The US government signed a contract in January with
Superior Maritime Services to transport 10 ammunition
containers to Diego Garcia from Concord, California, Sunday
Herald has reported.
The shipment includes 195 smart, guided Blu-110 bombs
and 192 Blu-117 2,000lb bombs.
The key Iranian nuclear facilities are said to be
underground and both these type of bombs are effective against
reinforced or underground facilities.
The United States and Israel have repeatedly asserted
that they do not rule out a military action to stop Iran`s
nuclear ambitions and that they are keeping all the options on
the table.
Contract details for the shipment were posted on an
international tenders` website by the US Navy.
"They are gearing up totally for the destruction of
Iran," Dan Plesch, director of the Centre for International
Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London, said.
"US bombers are ready today to destroy 10,000 targets
in Iran in a few hours," Plesch, who is the co-author of a
recent study on the US preparations for an attack on Iran,
stressed.
The final decision on whether to launch an attack
would be in the hands of US President Barack Obama. He may
decide that it would be better for the US to act instead of
Israel, Plesch argued.
"The US is not publicising the scale of these
preparations to deter Iran, tending to make confrontation more
likely, "Plesch said adding, "The US is using its forces as
part of an overall strategy of shaping Iran`s actions."
Diego Garcia is a British territory about 1,000 miles
south of India and Sri Lanka but is used as a US military base
as part of an agreement reached in 1971.
It has already been used in operations against Iraq
during the 1991 and 2003 Gulf wars.
PTI
