Bush vetoed Israel plan to bomb Iran

London, Sept. 26: Israel had reportedly approached the United States for permission to bomb nuclear sites in Iran, but President George W. Bush had then told Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that he would not back an attack on Iran. Senior European diplomatic sources told the Guardian that Israel gave serious thought this spring to launching a military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, but had to revise that view after Washington refused to give the green signal.

The proposal was taken up during a one-on-one meeting on May 14, the sources said. The paper says that the talks were so sensitive that no note-takers attended, but the European leader subsequently divulged to his officials the highly sensitive contents of what Mr Olmert had told him of Mr Bush’s position.

Mr Bush’s decision to refuse to offer any support for a strike on Iran appeared to be based on two factors, the sources said. One was US concern over Iran’s likely retaliation, which would probably include a wave of attacks on US military and other personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as on shipping in the Persian Gulf.

The other was US anxiety that Israel would not succeed in disabling Iran’s nuclear facilities in a single assault even with the use of dozens of aircraft. It could not mount a series of attacks over several days without risking full-scale war. So the benefits would not outweigh the costs.

Iran has repeatedly said it would react with force to any attack. Even if Israel were to launch an attack on Iran without United States approval, its planes could not reach their targets without the US becoming aware of their flight path and having time to ask them to abandon their mission. Neither the US nor Israel has ruled out a military response to the nuclear standoff. Mr Olmert’s spokesperson, Mark Regev, told the Guardian, "The need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is raised at every meeting between the Prime Minister and foreign leaders. Israel prefers a diplomatic solution to this issue but all options must remain on the table." —ANI,AFP