For, lo, Thine enemies are in an uproar; and they that hate Thee have lifted up the head.They hold crafty converse against Thy people, and take counsel against Thy treasured ones.They have said: ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.’ (Psalms 83:3-5)
Iran’s nuclear program has been a cause for global concern for some time now, but the question of appropriate response continues to be debated. While most countries in favor of taking any action at all support sanctions as the preferred response, Israel has expressed that it has red lines it will not allow Iran to cross without taking more drastic action. Until now, Israel has been alone in this position.
According to former IDF Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin, that may be changing.
In 2002, the US first accused Iran of attempting to develop nuclear weapons. Although Iran declared that it favored developing such weapons to counter a perceived nuclear threat from Israel, it insists its nuclear program is strictly for civilian purposes. Over the past decade, Iran has submitted to various inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, however, the IAEA concluded that there were several breaches and violations in Iran’s nuclear conduct. The US and EU continue to insist that Iran cease its uranium enrichment endeavors, while Iran maintains that its sovereign right to develop nuclear energy should be recognized. In 2004, Iran’s foreign minister stated, “We won’t accept any new obligations. Iran has a high technical capability and has to be recognized by the international community as a member of the nuclear club. This is an irreversible path.”
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu addressed the UN last September, stating that there are “red lines” Israel cannot allow Iran to cross in its program of nuclear development. The US, however, has consistently pressured Israel to avoid taking military action in this case, for fear of the consequences of an all-out war in the region. Now, Yadlin says, the US may be prepared to change its mind on the matter.
“In 2012 the [Americans’] red light was as red as it can get, the brightest red,” Yadlin said in an interview with Army Radio Wednesday morning. “But the music I’m hearing lately from Washington says, ‘If this is truly an overriding Israeli security interest, and you think you want to strike,’ then the light hasn’t changed to green, I think, but it’s definitely yellow.”
Yadlin was involved in Israel’s previous anti-nuclear strikes, including Operation Opera, the attack on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981. He is considered close to the US defense establishment, having served as Israel’s military attache to Washington from 2004 to 2006. He was also a Kay Fellow in Israeli national security at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in 2011.
“For all intents and purposes, Iran has crossed Israel’s red line… in the summer, Iran will be a month or two away from deciding about a bomb,” Yadlin said. Netanyahu was quick to deny that Iran had crossed the line.
Iran’s new president, Hasan Rouhani, was sworn into office on Sunday. Considered a moderate, Rouhani has still been vocal in his hatred for Israel, calling it an “old wound” that needed to be removed. Rouhani has indicated a willingness to come to the table to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, but insists that he will participate in “talks, not threats.”
“I, as the president of Iran, announce that Iran has a serious political will to solve the (nuclear) problem while protecting the rights of the Iranian people at the same time as it seeks to remove concerns of the other party,” Rouhani told reporters in Tehran.
Most world leaders welcome Rouhani’s more conciliatory tone, but Netanyahu has warned that Rouhani still supports Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions.
