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Israel Doubts Ability of Diplomacy to Block Iranian Nuclear Weapons

(Washington Institute for Near East Policy ) Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad - All leading intelligence services now agree that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has long been determined to put his country in a position where it could develop nuclear weapons at will. Iran is now at that point. Today, sanctions have proven more effective than some would have imagined. In response, Tehran has once again made a strategic decision to delay the nuclear project, hoping to stop the momentum of the sanctions while preserving the ability to develop a nuclear weapon "in due time." Israel supports any initiative to remove Iran's nuclear capabilities, including the current U.S. diplomatic initiative. Yet it is doubtful whether any diplomatic efforts can accomplish that goal. The U.S. goes into this round of negotiations with deep awareness of the intelligence picture and wide consensus that the issues at stake represent a strategic threat to U.S. interests. For Israel, an Iranian nuclear weapon is an intolerable threat. The U.S. is fully committed to preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons - not for Israel's sake, but because it is a threat to U.S. national security. Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad is director of the Political-Military Affairs Bureau at the Israel Defense Ministry.
2013-10-14 00:00:00
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