'Israel itself must decide on Iran strike'

Jerusalem: Leading US Republicans told Israel on Tuesday it must make up its own mind whether to launch a preemptive strike on Iran if the Islamic republic seeks to arm itself with nuclear weapons.


Visiting Jerusalem at the head of a delegation of five senators, former presidential candidate John McCain said Iran was pursuing a nuclear arms programme, sponsoring militant groups and was "openly committed to the destruction of state of Israel."


"Israel probably is most capable of determining what the threats are to their national security,' he said in a press conference. "I think they are a sovereign nation and their assessment is one that if I were an Israeli citizen I would rely on more than that of another government."


In an interview at the weekend, top US military commander Martin Dempsey bluntly said it would be "premature" to launch military action against Iran.


"A strike at this time would be destabilising and wouldn't achieve (Israel's) long-term objectives," he said.


On Sunday, Britain's foreign secretary William Hague said it would not be "wise" for Israel to take military action against Iran, echoing comments earlier this month by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.


Senator Lindsey Graham, a fellow Republican in McCain's delegation, said "I think that the comments telling Israel what to do and not to do vis-a-vis Iran are very unhelpful."


"I just want to tell our Israeli friends my advice is never lose control of your destiny," Graham said. "You do what is necessary to control your own destiny and you have my full blessing."


Israel is calling for harsher international sanctions against Iran, which denies pursuing nuclear arms, but the Jewish state refuses to rule out using force if other options fail.


In 1981, Israel launched a pre-emptive strike on the unfinished Osirak reactor outside the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, leaving US officials stunned and earning it a sharp rebuke from its American ally.  source:


FYI


McCain didn't get the memo It's already been decided in 1981...


Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin enunciated what came to be known as the Begin doctrine: "On no account shall we permit an enemy to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against the people of Israel." This doctrine has been used by Israeli politicians to justify a possible attack on Iran's project to develop a nuclear facility.


Begin formed the doctrine to justify the Israeli attack on the Iraqi nuclear reactor Osirak in Operation Opera in 1981.

"Of course it is imperative to ensure that military action would be effective, as well as to take into account the price Israel might pay as result. But such discussion should not be held in a public forum, as media speculation dilutes Israeli deterrence and gives Iranian leaders the feeling that Israel has eschewed the military option. If Iran comes to the conclusion that Israel will not strike then nothing will stop the ayatollah's regime in its quest for nuclear arms."

Israel's nuclear weapons factory at Dimona.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - U.S., Israel will suffer for threats on nuclear program

Iran Supreme Leader: U.S., Israel will suffer for threats on nuclear program

In televised address, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says has no fear of saying that Iran would support any 'nation or group that wants to confront and fight against the Zionist regime.'

By Reuters

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday the Islamic Republic would not yield to international pressure to abandon its nuclear course, threatening retaliation for sanctions aimed at Iran's oil exports.

"Threatening Iran and attacking Iran will harm America....  Sanctions will not have any impact on our determination to continue our nuclear course.... In response to threats of oil embargo and war, we have our own threats to impose at the right time," Khamenei told worshippers in a speech broadcast live on state television.The official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Iran's Supreme Leader as saying that war threats would "disfavor the US itself; the war would be ten times against interests of the US itself,” said the Supreme Leader.

"I have no fear of saying that we will back and help any nation or group that wants to confront and fight against the Zionist regime [Israel]."

On Thursday, British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said in an interview that he was concerned that "certain" countries" would take the Iran nuclear issue into their own hands, refusing to say whether or not Britain would "participate" the military conflict that could ensure as a result from such a move.

Clegg was quoted as telling The House Magazine, a weekly British political journal, that he feared Israel could carry out a pre-emptive strike on Iran amid suspicion in the West that Tehran is secretly developing nuclear weapons.

Tensions have been heightened over Iran’s intentions, leading UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday to warn Israel that the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program must be resolved peacefully.

Asked if he feared Israel could launch an attack against Iran, Clegg — leader of the Liberal Democrats, the junior member of Britain’s coalition government, acknowledged he had concerns.

“Of course I worry that there will be a military conflict and that certain countries might seek to take matters into their own hands,” Clegg was quoted as saying.

He said Britain had been attempting to demonstrate “that there are very tough things we can do which are not military steps in order to place pressure on Iran.”
Last week, the European Union agreed to tougher sanctions, including an embargo on Iranian oil imports.

However, Clegg said he would not speculate on whether “Britain would participate” if the standoff eventually led to a military response. source: