The Washington Post reports the nation’s top military officer has said that the Pentagon is planning for “potential military courses of action” against Iran. Adm. Michael Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said military action is one of several options against Iran. Mullen accused Iran of having a “increasingly lethal and malign influence” in Iraq. Last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates claimed Iran is “hell-bent on acquiring nuclear weapons.” Despite the rhetoric from Washington, a spokesperson from Iran’s foreign ministry said Tehran is not concerned about a US attack.

Mohammad Ali Hosseini: “Mr. Gates and Mr. Cheney made some comments about military choice. According to the problems that the Americans face and their disastrous situation in Iraq and Afghanistan and their interior problems, we think it would be unlikely the Americans would take the decision to get themselves into a new fiasco, the consequences of which they themselves have acknowledged would be painful for the region and the world.”

Meanwhile, on Thursday, a cargo ship contracted by the US Navy fired shots at small Iranian speedboats off the Iranian coast. The cargo ship, the Westward Venture, was transporting US military hardware.