US 'has no moral right to prevent Israel acting against Iran'
Benjamin Netanyahu denounced American efforts to restrain Israel from striking Iran, saying that no-one had a "moral right" to prevent his country from acting against a mortal threat.By Adrian Blomfield, Jerusalem and David Blair8:42PM BST 11 Sep 2012
Mr Netanyahu wants America to lay down clear "red lines" beyond which Iran would risk war by pressing on with its nuclear ambitions. He fears that Iran is successfully playing for time while the nuclear programme advances. In response, Mr Netanyahu is pressing Washington to impose a deadline on diplomatic efforts to
resolve the confrontation.
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, appeared to turn him down on Monday, saying publicly that America was “not setting deadlines for Iran”.
Mr Netanyahu delivered a caustic response yesterday, saying that under these circumstances, no one could expect Israel to remain patient. “The world tells Israel to wait because there is still time,” said Mr Netanyahu. “And I ask: wait for what? Until when? Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don’t have a moral right to place a red light before Israel.”
This approach would only embolden Iran, warned Mr Netanyahu. “If Iran knows that there is no red line or deadline, what will it do? Exactly what it is doing today – continuing to work unhindered towards obtaining nuclear weapons capability and, from there, nuclear bombs,” he said.
The prime minister’s language will increase fears that Israel is intent on launching a unilateral strike on Iran.
Some observers see Mr Netanyahu’s threats to attack Iran as hollow, believing that Israel does not have a viable military option. They judge that Mr Netanyahu’s real aim is to ensure that the US and European powers continue to maximise the pressure on Tehran, particularly by imposing tougher sanctions.
However, his threats were taken seriously enough for Mr Cameron to send a senior British envoy to Israel to convey his concern. Sources confirmed that this official, whose identity has not been disclosed, saw Mr Netanyahu about two weeks ago. A British diplomat in Jerusalem and the Israeli prime minister’s office declined to comment.
Mr Netanyahu’s tough approach has apparently earned Washington’s displeasure, with reports in the Israeli press last night claiming that President Barack Obama has turned down a request from Mr Netanyahu for a meeting during the United Nations general assembly later this month. An unnamed Israeli official said the Israeli prime minister had been told by the White House that there was not room in the presidential schedule.Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for Mr Obama, dismissed the report, saying that the President and Mr Netanyahu were not meeting because they would not be in New York at the same time.
However, he did not address the claim that Mr Netanyahu was prepared to travel to Washington in order to meet at the White House.
The two leaders have had a testy relationship, with Mr Netanyahu once lecturing the president in the Oval Office on the importance of US support for Israel. Obama officials have also expressed frustration at how Mr Netanyahu has consistently pressurised them to adopt an aggressive posture towards Tehran.The US believes diplomacy can still deliver a solution before Iran achieves the ability to build a nuclear weapon. Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, said this threshold would be reached in “a little more than a year”. He said: “We think we will have the opportunity, once we know that they’ve made that decision, to take the action necessary to stop [Iran].”
Mr Panetta told CBS: “We have the forces in place to be able to not only defend ourselves, but to do what we have to do, to try to stop them from developing nuclear weapons.”
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