Hi XE, anything is possible. Obviously I am no military planner 8^) but I would think these would be used in a crowd dispersion type scenario, not a preemptive strike scenario. It could be that these gunships are to prevent a civil war from breaking out as hinted at by the article you posted.
>>>At this stage, only a direct and immediate action on the part of the US administration aimed at preventing a military confrontation with Iran<<<
"Preventing" is the optimal word. Dialogue has never been a GWB strong point. Hell, who we kidding, Bush don't do dialogue and Iran is not making this any easier. Why should they? They have been indicted as part of the Axis of Evil and probably felt they were next on the hit list for some time now. They also probably feel as though they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by creating instability. It is a rallying cry...
A confrontation is just about certain; when and in what way, shape or form is to be determined. A preemptive strike would most likely incorporate tactical nukes.