Iranian foreign minister says “The Islamic Republic of Iran demands the immediate withdrawal of British forces from Basra”. Jesus, it’s my Jeff Wode theory of terrorism in action again. “That wouldn’t wash with Jeff. He’d like a bit of pleading. Adds spice to it. In fact, he’d probably tell you what he was going to do, before he did it.”
What he probably won’t do is what half 4th Generation Warfare guru, half mad professor Bill Lind suggested, which is send “four to six” Iranian army divisions over the border. Granted it would be a serious problem, but they would make fine targets for the big-war, assault from outer space machine. Those US soldiers I quoted Patrick Cockburn about, who turned up to a brawl in a petrol queue with a 155mm self-propelled gun because it was the only transport they had and they couldn’t very well leave it lying around, would finally get to do their thing out to 20-odd miles’ range..as would all the heavy armour, attack helis, giant jets, MLRS grid-square removers and such.
Unless they – we – actually decide to do something as insane as attack Iran, in which case all bets are off, they can get the same effects inside Iraq with much less risk by pushing the Shia button and flipping SCIRI on us (presumably with all the kit we’ve given them – where are those ex-Hungarian T-72s stored?), not to mention the Sadrists, naturally with all the secret support they can arrange.
Mind you, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the Iranian army cross the border and move right into Shaibah Log Base as the last Bedford pulls out of the door. I think the minister’s remark should be treated with the utmost seriousness, although I suspect at the moment the last thing he wants would be that we actually leave and therefore remove our balls from under the hammer.