"The New York Times" quotes two senior administration officials as saying that barring a move by Israel, which one characterized as “the wild card” on the Iranian issue, the Bush administration would not be likely to pursue military strikes against Iranian nuclear targets.
"The New York Times" notes that President George W. Bush himself seemed to signal as much at the start of his European tour last week in Slovenia, when he said of Iran that he expected to “leave behind a multilateral framework to work on this issue,” a statement that seemed to suggest that military action against Iran may no longer be on the table.
However, foreign policy analysts and diplomats said that there remains the possibility that Israel could force the hand of the Bush administration. Israel carried out a three-day military exercise this month that American intelligence officials say appeared to have been a rehearsal for a potential strike on nuclear targets in Iran.
Israeli Ambassador to the US Sallai Meridor told "The New York Times", "Israel prefers this threat be dealt with peacefully, by dramatically increasing sanctions and maintaining a credible resolve to keep all options on the table. But time is running out. Iran should understand that under no circumstances will the world allow it to obtain a nuclear capability.”
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 22, 2008
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