|
Bush: I would understand if Israel
chose to attack Iran
By Yossi Verter,
Haaretz Correspondent
The
United States lacks sufficient intelligence on
Iran's nuclear facilities at this time, which
prevents it from initiating a military strike
against them, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
has told European politicians and diplomats with
whom she has recently met.
Rice mentioned three reasons why the United States
is currently unable to carry out a military
operation against Iran: the wish to solve the crisis
through peaceful means; concern that a military
strike will be ineffective - that it would fail to
completely destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities; and
the lack of precise intelligence on the targets'
locations.
U.
S. President George W. Bush and President Jacques
Chirac of France met several weeks ago. Bush told
his French counterpart that the possibility that
Israel would carry out a strike against Iran's
nuclear installations should not be ruled out.
Bush also said that if such an attack were to take
place, he would understand it. According to European
diplomats who later met with Rice, the secretary of
state did not express the same willingness to show
understanding for a possible Israeli strike against
Iran.
Nonetheless, Rice did not discount the possibility
that such an operation may take place.
In
recent talks with their Israeli counterparts, French
government officials estimated that Iran would reach
the "point of no return" in its nuclear program by
spring 2007, in approximately five months.
At
that point, according to Israeli sources, Iran will
be in a position to simultaneously operate
approximately 3,000 centrifuges for enriching
uranium.
Various estimates by international experts hold
that Monday Iran is operating 340-600 such
centrifuges.
In
talks with Israeli sources several days ago, a
French government official asserted that an Israeli
military attack against Iran would be "a total
disaster" in terms of its implications for the
entire world. According to the French official, such
a strike would at best delay the completion of
Iran's nuclear program by two years.
The attack would also result in Iran cancelling its
membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,
cause a great deal of agitation in the Arab world,
lead to a rise in oil prices, and could result in a
major Iranian military response that would not
target Israel alone.
|
