Editor’s Note – It is one delay after another, one visit after another, one more time throwing Israel under the bus – all the while, Iran continues to refine uranium. At some point soon, Israel MUST attack, or Iran will have the bombs it needs to force its will on its neighbors and dictate terms to the world regarding Israel. Another foreign policy failure in a long line of utter failure.
Clinton rejects Netanyahu’s call for ‘red lines’ over Iran nuclear program
Secretary of state says that while Washington shares Jerusalem’s concern over Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, the Obama administration still believes ‘negotiations are by far the best approach.’
By Barak Ravid – Haaretz
Despite talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and the White House over the possibility of drawing red lines concerning the Iranian nuclear program, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday night that the administration is not prepared to make such a public commitment.
“We’re not setting deadlines,” Clinton said in an interview with Bloomberg Radio.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Jerusalem July 16, 2012. Photo by Reuters
On Sunday, Netanyahu said that Israel and the U.S. are discussing applying further pressure on Iran, and called for drawing red lines that if crossed will prompt a military strike against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities. Netanyahu stressed that these lines are the only way a war can be avoided.
Clinton rejected Netanyahu’s stance, saying that negotiations are “by far the best approach” to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
“We’re watching very carefully about what they do, because it’s always been more about their actions than their words,” she said on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific forum in Vladivostok, Russia.
The Secretary of State said that Israel and the U.S. share the goal of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, yet there are disagreements over the timetable of negotiations with the Islamic Republic.
The Israelis are “more anxious about a quick response because they feel that they’re right in the bullseye, so to speak,” Clinton said. “But we’re convinced that we have more time to focus on these sanctions, to do everything we can to bring Iran to a good-faith negotiation.”
