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U.S., Israel Need to Agree on Iran Deal
(Washington Post) Editorial - The rift between the U.S. and Israel over Iran reflects a profound divergence of U.S. and Israeli national interests. For the war-weary U.S., a deal that halts Iran's progress toward a nuclear weapon would greatly reduce the possibility that the U.S. would be forced to take military action against Iran. Israel, of course, also wishes to avoid war. But Israeli leaders have more to fear than do Americans from a bargain that leaves the bulk of the Iranian nuclear infrastructure in place, even temporarily. If no final settlement were reached, and the larger sanctions regime began to crumble - as the Israelis fear it would - Iran could be left with a nuclear breakout capacity as well as a revived economy. Rather than argue in public, U.S. and Israeli officials should be working to forge a consensus on the terms of an acceptable final settlement with Iran. A large reduction in Iran's nuclear capacity, combined with more intrusive inspections, would leave Israel far more secure than at present. At the same time, the Obama administration ought to be assuring Israel and Arab allies that it will continue to reject Iran's regional ambitions, respond to its aggressive acts and support the aspirations of Iranians for a democratic regime that respects human rights.