TEHRAN, Aug 18: Iran will strike the Israeli reactor at Dimona if Israel attacks Tehran's own burgeoning nuclear facilities, a commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

"If Israel fires one missile at Bushehr atomic power plant, it should permanently forget about Dimona nuclear centre, where it produces and keeps its nuclear weapons, and Israel would be responsible for the terrifying consequence of this move," Gen Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr warned.

Iran's bid to generate nuclear power at its plant being built at Bushehr is seen by Israel and the United States as a cover for nuclear weapons development. The general's comments, reported by the Iranian press, mark an escalation in an exchange of threats between Israel and Iran in recent weeks, leading to speculation that there may be a repeat of Israel's strike against Iraqi nuclear facilities at Osirak in 1981.

Iran insists that its nuclear intentions are peaceful, while pointing at its enemy's alleged nuclear arsenal, which Israel neither confirms nor denies possessing. Dimona, in the Negev desert, is allegedly where Israel produces weapons-grade plutonium for its estimated 200 nuclear warheads.

Revolutionary Guard chief Yadollah Javani on Sunday warned that "the entire Zionist territory including its nuclear establishments and atomic munitions are now within the range of Iran's advanced missiles".

The statement came a few days after Tehran a test of an upgraded version of its conventional medium-range Shahab-3 missile. The missile is considered the mainstay of Iran's military technology and portrayed as purely defensive and dissuasive, but also specifically as a weapon against Israel.

The Revolutionary Guards, or Sepah-e Pasdaran, to whom the Shahab-3 has been entrusted, exist in parallel to the regular armed forces. The ideological spearhead of the government, they are well equipped and have a navy and air force as well as ground troops.

Gen Zolqadr however considered that "given the internal crises in the Zionist regime and its military, security and geographical vulnerability, Israel is not capable of attacking Iran and its threats are only propaganda".

The threats, said Gen Zolqadr, are aimed at depriving Iran of its "indisputable right" to nuclear technology for peaceful ends. Israel is concerned that Iran will continue developing nuclear weapons while a diplomatic solution is being sought. Israeli intelligence estimates that Iran will have a nuclear weapon by 2007.

John Bolton, US under secretary of state for arms control and international security, said on Tuesday that bringing the Iranian nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council was "long overdue".

"We cannot let Iran, a leading sponsor of international terrorism, acquire nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them to Europe, most of central Asia and the Middle East, or beyond," he said.

Israel last month tested an improved version of its Arrow II anti-missile system, aimed squarely at fending off any attack by Iran. However, Israeli experts say that there is unlikely to be an Osirak-style strike on Iran's nuclear sites, saying their dispersal throughout the country and the current problems of the United States in Iraq would render such an attack counter-productive. -AFP