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Israel Seeks a Stronger Stance on Iran

(Washington Post) Glenn Kessler and Janine Zacharia - Israeli officials are beginning to signal impatience with the slow pace of diplomacy aimed at restraining Iran's nuclear ambitions. In Jerusalem on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the need for the international community to join a U.S. sanctions push aimed at limiting Iran's nuclear program. "The stronger those sanctions are, the more likely it will be that the Iranian regime will have to choose between advancing its nuclear program and advancing the future of its own permanence," Netanyahu said. He added: "I think that the international community and the leading countries in the international community have to join the American effort. And Israel has been helping out with key countries and continues to do so." The Obama administration had said that after a year of outreach to Iran, it would get tough in 2010, promising "crippling sanctions." UN sanctions were to be enacted quickly, followed by EU sanctions and then even tougher unilateral sanctions by a group of like-minded countries. "We were led to believe that by now, or the end of the month, that sanctions would be in place," said a senior Israeli official. "Iran is the litmus test" for American power, he said, and any failure to deal toughly with Iran will only encourage America's enemies.
2010-03-10 07:45:27
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