Israel Matzav

US 'persuaded' Israel that Iran won't have a nuclear weapon for at least another yer?

During the night, it was reported that the United States had 'persuaded' Israel that Iran would not have a nuclear weapon for at least another year. Presumably, that 'persuasion' was designed to convince Israel not to attack the Bushehr nuclear plant that is being fueled this weekend. But was Israeli really persuaded?

Israeli officials have indicated that if they saw a race for the bomb under way, they would probably take military action and encourage the United States to join the effort. A spokesman for Israel’s embassy in Washington declined to comment for this article. In interviews, Israeli officials said their assessments were coming into line with the American view, but they remain suspicious that Iran has a secret enrichment site yet to be discovered.

...

Even as American and Israeli officials agree that the date that Iran is likely to have a nuclear weapon has been pushed into the future, that does not mean that Israel has abandoned the idea of a possible military strike.

American officials said that Israel was particularly concerned that, over time, Iran’s supreme leader could order that nuclear materials be dispersed to secret locations around the country, making it less likely that an Israeli military strike would significantly cripple the program.

So for this week, there's no strike. But if Iran continues to pursue nuclear weapons, there is little doubt that Israel will strike if the US does not.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:08 AM