By Haaretz Service
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Sunday that the Obama administration would not stand in Israel’s way should the latter chooses to take military action to eliminate Iran’s nuclear threat.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zwhv3s2l6g&feature=player_embedded]
White House officials said that the vice president’s remarks demonstrated only U.S. allowance of Israeli sovereignty, and not a change in policy on the part of the Obama administration.
Biden told ABC reporter George Stephanopoulos that Israel has the right to determine its own course of action with regard to the Iranian nuclear threat, regardless of what the Obama administration chooses to do, .
When asked whether the Obama administration would restrain Israeli military action against Iran, Biden responded:
“Israel can determine for itself – it’s a sovereign nation – what’s in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else.”
Stephanaopoulos posed the question three times, and each time Biden repeated that Israel was free to choose its actions. “If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice.”
White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said Biden’s remarks did not signaling any change of approach on Iran or Israel.
“The vice president refused to engage hypotheticals, and he made clear that our policy has not changed,” Vietor said. “Our friends and allies, including Israel, know that the president believes that now is the time to explore direct diplomatic options.”
During the interview, Biden hinted that President Barack Obama was looking to take a harder line toward Iran over the latter’s contentious nuclear program.
He said that Obama’s offer for dialogue with Tehran remained on the table, but rejected the notion that the U.S. would make concessions for such negotiation to take place.
“The ball’s in their court,” Biden said. “If they choose to meet with the P-5 under the conditions the P-5 has laid out, it means they begin to change course. And it means that the protestors probably had some impact on the behavior of an administration that they don’t like at all.”
Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday, when asked about Biden’s comments, that the U.S. position on Iran and a military strike involves a political decision.
“I have been, for some time, concerned about any strike on Iran. I worry about it being very destabilizing, not just in and of itself but unintended consequences of a strike like that,” Mullen said on CBS’ Face the Nation.
“At the same time, I’m one that thinks Iran should not have nuclear weapons. I think that is very destabilizing,” he said.
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miss hana i am very sorry to inform you about we dont like war.there is a big conspiracy going on here and the main reason is to have one world order ,and inorder to have that they want every man becoming enslaved to them this one part of it, the second part is the fight between the good and bad,the fight between mosses and paharo and the fight continues and when they try to overcome us we will retaliate with greater faith and fight them till we die
“Men are addicted to war” Hood Locker film.
War seems inevitable and countries need to be able to defend themselves.
Those that could not, no longer exist or are in horrible condition.
If all this is about to take place then Iran could really pull the trump card out of the bag and declare their nuclear program ended, call in the inspectors to take away their equipment and concentrate all their efforts into a solar power energy regime, this would bugger up the USA and Isreal for the future.
Let face it nuclear has a limited shelf life, there is only 20 years tops of the energy needed to make things this way, the sun will last forever and its free, Iran is in the right place to sell this power to all their neighbours, even Isreal.
Then Iran would then keep their oil and be in a better position later on, I really hope Iran would do what their nation needs to stay alive, if there was a warning sign as to what will happen, ask them to look next door.
The gentlest gainster is always the surest winner.
I think you have it the other way around Hanna, its Israel, using UK and US for its dirty work for all these years, the sooner the Americans realise this the better it is for them.
It seems that the U.S.A. and European Countries want Israel to do their dirty work!
After watching 9/11 The Myth and the Reality we citizens of the world have no idea what these governments are planning, but we know they are capable of doing the unbelievable!
what about the millions you have killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, mr Biden? how can you ignore them, and worry just about Neda? You are a liar Mr Biden. A LIAR.