Iran commander warns Israel, US against attack

TEHERAN (AP) - The top commander in Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard warned on Sunday that his country's missiles will ensure "nothing will remain" of Israel if it takes military action against Teheran over its controversial nuclear programme.

General Mohammad Ali Jafari also warned that Iran might close the Straits of Hormuz if it is attacked, withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and hit US bases in the Middle East.

Such warnings and references to Israel's destruction have been made before by Iranian officials. But General Jafari's comments to a Teheran news conference were an unusually detailed, strongly worded and comprehensive listing of the means that Iran says it has to retaliate against a strike on its nuclear facilities.

The US and Israel have left open the possibility of such a strike if Iran does not back down from what they say are a push to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.