US Mideast military chief says Iranian behavior unhelpful

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Iranians need to realize that the US is ready to stand up to them and the region is concerned about their radical rhetoric, the top American commander in the Middle East said Sunday. Speaking at a press conference in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Central Command chief Admiral William J. Fallon said that Iran's behavior since he assumed his post eight months earlier has not been helpful. "I don't want the Iranians to make a mistake and feel that we are afraid of them or not willing to stand up for things that we should in this region," he said. "There's concern over the Iranian behavior, concern in the region from the radical talk that is constantly threatening other people." Fallon was in Egypt for the massive regional Bright Star military excercises held every two years between Egypt and the United States that include several other nations.