US contingency plans for air strikes on Iran extend beyond nuclear sites and include most of the country’s military infrastructure.

The trigger for such an attack reportedly includes any confirmation that Iran was developing a nuclear weapon. Alternatively, a high-casualty attack on US forces in neighboring Iraq could also trigger a bombing campaign if it were traced directly back to Tehran.

The official invited representatives of the United Nations, Human Rights watch and other international bodies to dispatch envoys to Iran to observe the available documents and proofs substantiating involvement of the Untied States and Britain in the recent terrorist attacks, including the blast and shootout on Wednesday.

“The US and Britain, which allege to be pioneers in the campaign against terrorism, are themselves actually defending the terrorists, training them and providing them with the needed media and financial supports and facilities,” he added.

Soltan-Ali Mir further pointed out that the US and Britain intend to create a series of incidents in his province similar to what they have already done in Iraq.

“They intend to kill the Shiites and leave the footsteps at the door of the Sunnis or vice versa. Some of the arrestees confessed that they had plans to assassinate religious and tribal leaders of the Sunnis and put the blame on the Shiites in a bid to foment ethnic and religious conflicts,” he stated.

See also: New York Times article

Eleven people have been killed in a bomb blast near a bus in city of Zahedan in south-eastern Iran, the official Irna news agency has reported.

The bomb, hidden in a car, targeted members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the agency said, although it is unclear if all the dead belonged to the guard….

Correspondents say an attack of this size and nature is unprecedented in Iran - hitting an elite force in daylight in an open street.

Three former high-ranking American military officers have warned against any military attack on Iran.

They said such action would have “disastrous consequences” for security in the Middle East and also for coalition forces in Iraq.

They said the crisis over Tehran’s nuclear programme must be resolved through diplomacy, urging Washington to start direct talks with Iran.

Former U.S. envoy to the United Nations John Bolton said in an interview published in France that the United States has “no strategic interest” in a united Iraq.

Bolton, who resigned last month from his temporary appointment as U.N. ambassador, also told the French daily Le Monde that U.S. President George W. Bush’s administration acted too slowly to hand power over to Iraqis after toppling Saddam Hussein in 2003.