Israel In A Fix Over Thaw In US-Iran Ties
The budding rapprochement between the United States and Iran has left Israel in a bit of a fix. In the wake of the recent events on the global political stage, Tel Aviv is apparently judging pros and cons of acting alone to stop Tehran from going nuclear.
While Israel and the United States are still committed to the strategy of preventing Iran from developing nuclear capabilities, the difference in their approaches to deal with the matter cannot be more conspicuous.
It is widely believed that America restrained Israel from carrying out airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear plants in the past. On more than one occasion, Obama reportedly sent emissaries to convince Netanyahu not to launch a unilateral attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. Obama’s stance has remained unchanged: America will not allow Iran to go nuclear but would prefer to give sanctions time to bite. In his last visit to Israel, Obama assured the Israelis that his country would act to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb.
With sanctions leaving a deep wound on Iran’s teetering economy and with a change in the leadership, Tehran is opting for a change in its foreign policy. The media alluded to “heroic flexibility,” a phrase coined by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as a catchword for the intentions of Iran to give up on its nuclear ambitions in exchange for lifting sanctions.
While it remains to be seen whether or not Iran is buying time, Obama views the change in Iran’s attitude as a vindication of the success of sanctions. Of course, it is far from certain that this would satisfy the increasingly worried Israeli leaders.
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