US, Israel divided on possible attack on Iran N-energy facilities: Barak
Israeli Minister for Military Affairs Ehud Barak
We face a common challenge but the clock is ticking at a different pace for each of us."
Israeli Minister forMilitary Affairs Ehud Barak
Israeli Minister for
Israeli Minister for Military Affairs Ehud Barak says differences remain with United States over a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear energy facilities.
"We face a common challenge but the clock is ticking at a different pace for each of us," Barak said after a meeting with the US Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral James Winnefeld, on Thursday.
"We also have our differences; Israel keeps its sovereign right to act independently, and the US understands this. However, there is no doubt about the US readiness to face the challenge on every level," Barak said, according to a statement from his ministry.
Israel is stepping up threats of carrying out a unilateral strike against Iran’s nuclear energy facilities before the US presidential election on November 6. However, the US opposes any Israeli military action at the current juncture.
Top officials at US President Barack Obama's administration have sent a confidential message to Iran via two European governments, announcing that the US would not support Israel if it decided to carry out a “unilateral and without coordination” attack on Iran, according to the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot
The daily added that US aims to prevent an Iranian attack on the US installations in the Persian Gulf, where it has deployed aircraft carriers and has several military bases.
Israeli threats are based on unsubstantiated claims that the nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic have been diverted to the acquisition of military nuclear capability.
On August 9, Barak told Israeli radio, "We are determined to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear and all the options are on the table. When we say it, we mean it.”
However, Israeli President Shimon Peres on August 16 ruled out Israel's unilateral attack on Iran’s nuclear energy facilities, saying Tel Aviv will need Washington’s help for a military operation against Tehran.
Iranian officials have promised a crushing response to any military strike against the country, warning that any such measure could result in a war that would spread beyond the Middle East.
On Wednesday, NavyCommander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Rear-Admiral Ali Fadavi warned that should the US attempt the folly of staging an act of aggression in the Persian Gulf, such military action will cost the lives of all the American forces engaged.
Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use the nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
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