Biden essentially OK’s an Israeli attack on Iran
Yesterday on ABC’s “This Week,” Vice President Joe Biden signaled that the Obama administration would not stop an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. But was this statement just another Biden gaffe?
When asked whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was right in indicating that Israel would take matters into its own hands if Iran did not show willingness to finally negotiate over its controversial nuclear program by the end of the year, Biden replied, “We cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do when they make a determination, if they make a determination, that they’re existentially threatened.”
On the surface Biden’s remarks suggest a toughening US stance against Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but White House officials denied that, the Los Angeles Times is reporting. According to the Times, White House officials are saying “his televised remarks Sunday simply reflected the US view that Israel had a right to defend itself and make its own decisions on national security.
And in Jerusalem, the Israeli government had no comment on Biden’s remarks.
However, in Tehran, the chatter was not recieved in silence. Al Jazeera reports Alaeddin Broujerdi, the head of Iran’s parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, said Tehran was ready to take “real and decisive” action if Israel attacked its nuclear facilities.