Guerillas in Iran

The Washington Times says the Iran military is planning an "Iraqi-style guerilla campaign" in response to a U.S. invasion:

Iran, apparently anticipating an American invasion, has quietly been restructuring its military and testing a new military doctrine that calls for a decentralized, Iraqi-style guerrilla campaign against an invading force. Iran's military planners are acutely aware that a military confrontation with technologically more advanced U.S. armed forces would be rapid and multifronted, unlike the static and slow-paced 1980-88 war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Therefore, a series of war games have been carried out since late last year to test the army's readiness.

[...]

Foreign diplomats who monitor Iran's army say that Iran's leadership has acknowledged it stands little chance of defeating U.S. armed forces with conventional military doctrine.

The shift in focus to guerrilla warfare against an occupying army in the aftermath of a successful invasion mirrors developments in Iraq, where a triumphant U.S. military campaign has been followed by three years of slow, indecisive struggle with insurgent and terrorist forces.

The Iranian preparations come as the United States refuses to rule out military action over Iran's suspect nuclear programs.

With seemingly no end to the violence in Iraq, I've always thought an American invasion of Iran is a complete non-starter. If this report is credible, it's even less likely.

Damian P.

Posted by damian at May 31, 2006 12:49 PM