A premature Israeli strike on Iran would have consequences for the United States, President Barack Obama said. \”Israel is a sovereign nation that has to make its own decisions about how best to preserve its security,\” Obama said Tuesday in a press conference.
Iran\’s parliamentary election this Friday is a potentially decisive battle in the struggle between political and religious hardliners, but it is unlikely to alter Tehran\’s stand on its deadlock with the West over its nuclear program.
A poll showed that nearly half of likely voters believed the United States should use military force to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
The threat of military strikes on Iran has upturned the quiet and comfortable lives once enjoyed by many Iranians, ushering in a new era of struggle and fear.
If Washington is perplexed by Israeli \”opacity\” on whether it might attack Iran, that is no accident, since Israel\’s leaders are themselves torn – but also content to let fears of bluff and double-bluff play to their advantage.
Iran\’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the United States and Israel on Thursday not to launch military action against its nuclear sites, saying it would be met with \”iron fists,\” state television reported.
Iran\’s top military chief warned that his country would retaliate harshly against an Israeli strike on its nuclear sites, as Israel successfully test fired a new ballistic missile.
Israeli leaders have not asked the United States for approval to attack Iran for fear Washington will turn them down, according to a news report.
Vice President Joe Biden\’s statement that Israel can decide on its own whether to strike Iran\’s nuclear sites should not be construed as an American \”green light\” for such an action, the State Department said on Monday.
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