By Joel C. Rosenberg JoelRosenberg.com
With the nuclear crisis intensifying in the Pacific, and talks with Iran again going nowhere, senior Israeli officials are increasingly concerned the world powers are not committed to taking decisive action to neutralizing Iran's nuclear threat before it’s too late. Now a senior Israeli Cabinet official is saying publicly and on the record that a final deadline for Iran should be measured in weeks, not months. Could such a warning mean that Prime Minister Netanyahu and his inner circle are nearing a decision on military action?
Steinitz: Iran Must Halt Enrichment Within "a Few Weeks"
"Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz called on world powers on Sunday to set a deadline for military action of weeks to persuade Iran to halt its nuclear enrichment program after talks ended without progress at the weekend," Reuters reports. "World powers and Iran failed again to end a deadlock in the decade-old dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program during the meeting in Kazakhstan, prolonging a standoff that could yet spiral into a new Middle East war."
"Sanctions are not enough and the talks are not enough," Steinitz said. "The time has come to place before the Iranians a military threat or a form of red line, an unequivocal red line by the entire world, by the United States and the West…in order to get results."
"Steinitz, a close confidant of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, told Army Radio action should be taken within 'a few weeks, a month' if Iran did not stop enriching uranium, although he did not elaborate," Reuters noted.
- Iran must halt enrichment within weeks, says strategic affairs minister • Israel Hayom
- Israeli Official: Time to Set Ultimatum for Iran • VOA
- Iran Nuclear Talks Fail With No Resumption Date Given • Bloomberg
- Israel can only rely on self against Iran threat • Global Post
- Lawmaker: Iran Will Never Halt Nuclear Program • ABC News
- Lieberman: Ignore Those who Say to Wait on Iran • Arutz Sheva