Israel to stay on its own if Iran is attacked, US warns
A
military strike on Iran by way of Israel could still occur at a
moment’s notice, but the US is now warning its allies that any
action overseas would jeopardize America’s ability to assist in a
Middle East war.
RT,
1
November, 2012
Although
US President Barack Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney both say the
next administration will be aligned with any Israeli efforts to
prevent Iran from procuring a nuclear weapon, any unilateral strike
on the Islamic Republic could prevent America from offering its
service in the event of a war.
The
United States currently has military bases across much of the world,
including key stations in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab
Emirates and Oman. Should Israel decide to strike Iran, instability
in the region is expected to become rampant and American officials
fear they won’t be able to rely on troops stationed overseas to
come to their ally’s aid.
“The
Gulf states’ one great fear is Iran going nuclear. The other is a
regional war that would destabilize them,” a source in the region
tells the UK’s Guardian. “They might support a massive war
against Iran, but they know they are not going to get that, and they
know a limited strike is not worth it, as it will not destroy the
program and only make Iran angrier.”
A
war overseas is less hypothetical than officials have let on, though,
and could be a very likely reality. Earlier this week, Israeli
Defense Minister Ehud Barak told London's Daily Telegraph that his
nation all but launched an assault on Iran only eight months ago when
the country was thought to be close to going nuclear. At the last
moment, though, Iran apparently diverted part of its enriched uranium
to civilian programs, prompting Israel to pull the plug on a planned
preemptive aerial assault.
Benjamin
Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, recently went on the record
with the French magazine Paris Match to say he thinks any strike to
stop a nuclear Iran would be well received, despite warnings from
others that the Middle East would erupt instantly, especially given
the rampant disruptions spurred in recent months through the Arab
Spring.
"Five
minutes after [an attack], contrary to what the skeptics say, I think
a feeling of relief would spread across the region," Netanyahu
said. "Iran is not popular in the Arab world, far from it, and
some governments in the region, as well as their citizens, have
understood that a nuclear-armed Iran would be dangerous for them, not
just for Israel."
Emile
Hokayem, a senior fellow of the International Institute for Strategic
Studies office in Bahrain, tells the Guardian, "I don't believe
the Gulf states are praying for an Israeli attack.”
"An
attack would create difficult problems for them on the political
level. They will be called on to denounce Israel, and they will want
to stay out of it. The risk of regional war to them is huge," he
said.
On
their part, Iran has vowed to attack America if Israel decides to
strike first — regardless of whether or not there is any military
action from the US.
“We
will enter a confrontation with both parties and will definitely be
at war with American bases should a war break out,” Gen. Amir Ali
Hajizadeh of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said in a statement this
past September.
Netanyahu,
Hollande call for tougher sanctions on Iran
PM
meets French president in Paris; Hollande backs more EU sanctions on
Tehran but rejects possible military action, urges 'unconditional'
resumption of peace talks
1
November, 2012
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Francois Hollande
called Wednesday for firmer sanctions on Iran to keep it from
developing nuclear weapons.
In
a visit to Paris on Wednesday, Netanyahu praised French pressure on
Iran and called for "even tougher sanctions."
"The
sanctions are taking a bite out of Iran's economy ... unfortunately
they have not stopped the Iranian program," he said.
Israel
has been an outspoken critic of Iran's suspect nuclear program,
repeatedly saying that Tehran is well on the way to developing an
atomic bomb.
"Given
the history of the Jewish people, I would not sit by and write off a
threat by those who say they are going to annihilate us," he
told reporters. He said Arab nations, too, would be "relieved"
if Iran were militarily prevented from obtaining nuclear arms.
Tehran
insists it's not developing atomic weapons. But French President
Francois Hollande said Wednesday that Iran has not proven that its
nuclear program is only aimed at civilian use.
Hollande
has supported a push for tougher EU sanctions on Iran but wants to
keep the door open to dialogue, and opposed Netanyahu's talk of
possible military action.
"It's
a threat that cannot be accepted by France," Hollande said at
Netanyahu's side, warning that a nuclear-armed Iran would be a threat
to the region and the world.
Hollande
said that France "is ready to vote for other sanctions, as many
as necessary."
"We
must make sure that through pressure, sanctions and later through
negotiations, Iran renounces its intention to have access to nuclear
weapons. I am working in that spirit," he said.....
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