JERUSALEM - Israeli officials are quietly conceding that new international sanctions targeting Iran’s suspect nuclear program are constraining Israel’s ability to take military action, and a window of opportunity is closing as Tehran moves more of its installations underground.
The officials say Israel must act by the summer if it wants to effectively attack Iran’s program.
“We must not waste time on this matter,’’ Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said yesterday. “The Iranians continue to advance [toward nuclear weapons], identifying every crack and squeezing through.’’
In comments last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Barak called for even tougher sanctions and warned that time is running out for the world to stop Iran’s weapons program.
“We are determined to prevent Iran from turning nuclear,’’ he said. “It seems to us to be urgent, because the Iranians are deliberately drifting into what we call an immunity zone where practically no surgical operation could block them.’’
A key question is how much damage Israel, or anyone else, can inflict, and whether it would be worth the risk of a possible counterstrike.
Israel has been a leading voice in the international calls to curb Iran’s nuclear program. It believes a nuclear-armed Iran would threaten its survival, citing Tehran’s calls for the destruction of the Jewish state and its support for anti-Israel militant groups.
Israeli leaders say they prefer a diplomatic solution. But - skeptical of international resolve - Israel refuses to rule out the use of force, saying frequently that “all options are on the table.’’
Leading Israeli defense officials believe that the time to strike, if such a decision is made, would have to be by the middle of this year.
Complicating the task is the assessment that Iran is stepping up efforts to move its work on enriching uranium - a critical component of bomb making - deep underground. Iran’s enrichment site near Qom, for instance, is shielded by about 300 feet of rock.
A team of UN nuclear inspectors is in Iran this week, and the findings from the visit could greatly influence Western efforts to expand economic pressures on Tehran over its uranium enrichment.
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, attending an African summit in Ethiopia, offered yesterday to extend the visit of the UN inspectors and expressed optimism their findings would help ease tensions.
The European Union this month decided to stop importing oil from Iran - weeks after the United States approved, but has yet to enact, new sanctions targeting Iran’s Central Bank and, by extension, its ability to sell its oil.
Somewhat paradoxically, the new economic sanctions the United States and Europe are imposing - while meeting a repeated Israeli request - have emerged as an obstacle to military action.
An Israeli strike would risk shattering the US-led diplomatic front that has imposed four additional rounds of sanctions on Iran and jolt the shaky world economy by causing oil prices to spike. Plus, Iran could unleash its arsenal of missiles capable of striking Israel. Still, officials say, if Israel feels no alternative but to take military action, it will do so.
Thanks for signing up
Close