Sound The Trumpet : Gates: We see eye-to-eye on Iran

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“Gates: We see eye-to-eye on Iran”
by Jpost
July 27th, 2009

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday in Jerusalem, and the two discussed a comprehensive range of bilateral, diplomatic, defense and strategic issues, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

A large part of the discussion was devoted to Iran, with Gates saying that the US and Israel saw eye-to-eye on the Iranian nuclear threat, and reiterating that US engagement with Teheran would not be open-ended, said the PMO.

Netanyahu stressed Israel's concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions and the need to utilize all available means to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapon, continued the statement.

Earlier Monday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Gates that Israel had not ruled out any means of dealing with Iran's nuclear threat, and was taking "no option off the table."

"This is our position. We mean it," Barak added.

Speaking alongside Gates at a joint press conference in Jerusalem's King David Hotel, the defense minister's declaration indicated that a military strike by Israel was still a possibility, though Barak also said he hoped diplomacy would succeed, while urging the US to set a short deadline and prepare hard-biting financial sanctions against Iran.

"Israel remains in its basic position that no options should be removed from the table, even though priority at this stage should be given to diplomacy," he said.

At the same time, Barak did not ignore the predicted implications of an Israeli offensive against Teheran. "We are not blind, whatever we do can have implications on our neighbors and others, we are trying to take that into account," he said.

Gates's visit to Israel was seen in part as an attempt to dissuade Israel from taking military action against Teheran and to buy time for US diplomacy to bear fruit. However, Barak's no-options-off-table comment - repeated three times - may indicate Gates made no visible headway in that goal.

Acknowledging Israel's concerns, Gates said the US administration's attempt to engage Iran diplomatically was "not an open-ended offer" and that the US was aware Iran might try to "run out the clock."

Gates said the Obama administration wanted an answer from the Iranians before the UN General Assembly convention, scheduled for the end of September. "I think that the president is certainly anticipating or hoping for some kind of response this fall, perhaps by the time of the UN General Assembly," he said.

He said sanctions were a possibility if diplomacy fails, while also mentioning plans for a loosely defined "defense umbrella" meant to protect US allies in the region.

The US was contributing financially and technically to fortifying Israel's missile defense program, Gates added, reiterating a pledge that Israel would maintain its technological advantage over its enemies.

"We will continue to ensure that Israel has the most advanced weapons for its national defense," he said.

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