Thursday, August 2, 2012

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta: U.S. Military Action Against Iran Remains An Option

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak leads U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta through an honor cordon in Tel Aviv, Israel, Aug. 1, 2012. Panetta is on a five-day trip to the region to meet with leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Israel and Jordan. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

Panetta, In Israel, Stresses That U.S. Military Action Against Iran Remains An Option -- Washington Post

ASHKELON, Israel — Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta stressed Wednesday that if economic sanctions do not compel Iran to end its nuclear program, the United States will have to consider military options to destroy it.

Panetta’s repeated emphasis on pursuing other options if diplomacy fails did not mark a change in policy but gave his remarks a harder edge than his previous statements.

His comments came amid deepening concern that Israel could launch a unilateral strike on Iran, and as Congress passed a new sanctions bill on Wednesday aimed at banks, insurance companies and shippers that assist Iran in selling its oil. There have been a series of visits to Israel by senior Obama administration officials, who are pressing the Israelis to give economic sanctions more time to persuade the Iranians to give up their nuclear ambitions.

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My Comment: The problem with this U.S. message is that I have doubts that Israel is listening to them. Israel has publicly given up on the diplomatic route, while US focus is to continue them.

What's my take on the whole situation .... this rush for war is not advisable. The Syrian conflict is now a full-blown civil war, Iraq is a few steps away from sectarian terrorism becoming the new norm in the country, the Kurds are starting to believe that they will be able to have their own independent state carved out in the heart of the Middle East, and unrest is rising in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Sheikdoms. Throw in an armed conflict with Iran will only exacerbate and inflame the other conflicts to a level not seen in the Middle East since the 1973 war.

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