Israel gives mixed signals on any attack on Iran

Israel gives mixed signals on any attack on Iran

Wed Jun 3, 2009 By Conor Sweeney

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Israel issued contradictory signals on Wednesday on whether it might bomb Iran, with its foreign minister saying there were no such plans and the defense minister saying all options were on the table.

Israel, widely believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear power, has repeatedly described Iran’s uranium enrichment as a threat to its existence.

“I have been asked by Saudi journalists about when Israel plans to bomb Iran. We are not planning to bomb Iran,” far-right Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said during a visit to Russia.

“We do not have a need” to carry out attacks on Iran, Lieberman told reporters in Russian when asked about a possible strike against Iran. “Israel is a strong country and we can defend ourselves.”

Israel has in the past said all options were on the table in preventing Tehran from building atomic weapons, and this was repeated later by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who refused to rule out a military strike on Iran.

……………………………..Lieberman, who grew up in the Soviet Union, said if Iran gained nuclear bombs it would trigger an arms race in the Middle East region.

“This is not an Israeli problem,” he said. “This is a threat to the entire world order and entire world community. So we do not want this global problem to be solved (only) by our hands.” http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE55239U20090603

June 4, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Israel, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear weapons, radioactive