Iranian leader warns Israel, U.S. not to attack nuclear sites

[The Northerner]

TEHRAN — Iran’s supreme leader on Thursday warned Israel and the United States that any attack on the country’s controversial nuclear program would be met with an “iron fist.”

In a speech at a military academy in Tehran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, “Anyone who intends to attack the Islamic Republic of Iran is living in a dream and should prepare themselves for strong slaps in the face and the iron fists of the army, Guard Corps and Basijis — in a word, the great Iranian nation.” He referred to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and members of a paramilitary force affiliated with it, the Basij.

His reaction came two days after the International Atomic Energy Agency released a report that said Iran has conducted secret experiments “relevant to the development of a nuclear device.”

Iran denies the allegations and says the evidence used by the U.N. nuclear watchdog was fabricated by the United States and its allies. It has insisted that its nuclear program is aimed only at generating electricity and ensuring an independent fuel supply for its nuclear power plants.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iran-leader-warns-israel-us/2011/11/10/gIQAno1k8M_story.html