Attacking Iran to be worst mistake in US history

HAVANA - It would be the worst mistake in US history if it attacks Iran, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said Thursday, the official daily Granma reported.

In an article titled "The Roads Leading to Disaster," the retired elder statesman said there was "no doubt" that the United States would be making "the worst mistake in its history" if it decides to attack Iran in coordination with Israel.

Washington is "wrong" to think that "men and women in Iran's Armed Forces...known for their religious principles and fighting traditions, will surrender without shooting a bullet," wrote Castro.

Castro also defended Iran's right to develop nuclear power for peaceful purposes.

"Iran does not have nuclear weapons," he said, adding that while the Middle Eastern country is accused of producing enriched uranium, it is as a source of energy or for medical uses.

"Like it or not, its possession is not the equivalent of producing nuclear weapons," Castro said.

"Israel owns hundreds of nuclear weapons, with the assistance and cooperation of the US," he added.

The Israeli government has "openly expressed its intention to attack the Iranian plant producing enriched uranium," he said. And "the US government has invested hundreds of millions dollars to manufacture a bomb for that purpose."

Castro cited a press report that a new 13.6-ton conventional bomb was being developed by the United States that would be able to blast through protective bunkers.

"Imagine US forces dropping monstrous bombs able to penetrate 60-meter-thick walls on industrial facilities," he wrote.

Castro, 85, handed power over to his younger brother Raul in 2006, after he underwent surgery for an intestinal ailment. Since then, he has been writing editorials on major world events, including climate change and the possibility of a devastating nuclear war.

He has also published his memoirs of the guerrilla war he headed which toppled Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, as well as other autobiographical works.