ASHKELON, Israel — Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta stressed Wednesday that if economic sanctions do not compel Iran to end its nuclear program, the United States would have to consider military options to destroy it.
Panetta’s repeated emphasis on pursuing other options if diplomacy fails did not mark a change in policy but gave his remarks a harder edge than his previous statements.
His comments came amid deepening concern that Israel could launch a unilateral strike on Iran. They followed a series of visits to Israel by senior Obama administration officials who are pressing the Israelis to give economic sanctions more time to convince the Iranians to give up their nuclear ambitions.
Panetta described the recently imposed economic sanctions as “the toughest Iran has ever faced,” and insisted that they were working. “The most effective way to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is for the international community to be united, proving to Iran that it will only make itself less secure if it continues to try to pursue a nuclear weapon,” he said.
The defense secretary’s statements also come as presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is making the Obama administration's policy toward Iran a campaign issue. During his own visit to Israel earlier this week, Romney used sharp language, saying that “any and all measures” should be considered to lead the effort to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Panetta appeared with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at a jointly funded U.S.-Israeli anti-rocket battery in southern Israel, then met in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Even as Panetta emphasized the Obama administration’s deep opposition to Iran’s nuclear program and America’s close partnership with Israel, the differences in the American and Israeli views regarding the need for urgent military action were clear.
Barak told reporters that the likelihood of sanctions curbing Iranian nuclear ambitions is “very, extremely low,” and suggested that the Iranians were simply stalling for time as they moved quickly to enrich the uranium they would need for a nuclear weapon.
“We have clearly something to lose by this stretch of time on which sanctions and diplomacy takes place because the Iranians are moving forward,” he said, standing next to Panetta.
Netanyahu reiterated that message in a brief statement following his meeting with the defense secretary. “However forceful our statements, they have not convinced Iran that we are serious about stopping them,” Netanyahu said. “Right now the Iranian regime believes that the international community does not have the will to stop its nuclear program. This must change quickly because the time to resolve this issue peacefully is running out.”
In remarks designed to increase pressure on the Iranians and reassure the Israelis, Panetta said repeatedly that the U.S. had developed military options to thwart the Iranian nuclear program if sanctions failed.
“We will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. Period,” Panetta said in a brief statement following his meeting with Netanyahu. “And we will exert all options in the effort to ensure that that does not happen.” In his joint appearance with the Israeli defense minister, Panetta noted that it was his responsibility to “provide the president with a full range of options, including military options, should diplomacy fail.”
Unlike the U.S. military, the Israel Defense Forces do not have tankers capable of refueling war planes in flight, nor is Israel’s arsenal of bunker busting bombs believed to be as effective as that of the U.S. at taking out deeply buried targets. Both of these shortcomings could limit the effectiveness of any unilateral action by the Israelis against the Iranian nuclear program.
Panetta spent the morning touring an anti-rocket battery developed by the Israelis with the assistance of the Americans and more than $200 million in U.S. aid. Last week President Obama pledged another $70 million to help Israel bolster the system, which is designed to shoot down short range rockets from Gaza and Lebanon. Panetta called the anti-rocket system a “game-changer” for the Israelis and said that it had shot down more than 80 percent of the rockets fired in recent months at Israeli cities.
The rocket system would not be effective against longer range Iranian missiles, which can only be countered with more sophisticated theater missile defense systems.
A unilateral Israeli strike on the Iranian program would likely trigger large reprisal strikes by Iran against Israel and U.S. targets in the Middle East. There would be intense pressure on the Obama administration to provide for Israel’s defense.
Panetta’s quick tour of the Iron Dome anti-rocket system was designed to highlight the close partnership between Israel and the U.S.
“This is the strongest alliance that we have...and we will continue to strengthen the military relationship,” Panetta said.
Panetta’s repeated emphasis on pursuing other options if diplomacy fails did not mark a change in policy but gave his remarks a harder edge than his previous statements.
His comments came amid deepening concern that Israel could launch a unilateral strike on Iran. They followed a series of visits to Israel by senior Obama administration officials who are pressing the Israelis to give economic sanctions more time to convince the Iranians to give up their nuclear ambitions.
Panetta described the recently imposed economic sanctions as “the toughest Iran has ever faced,” and insisted that they were working. “The most effective way to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is for the international community to be united, proving to Iran that it will only make itself less secure if it continues to try to pursue a nuclear weapon,” he said.
The defense secretary’s statements also come as presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is making the Obama administration's policy toward Iran a campaign issue. During his own visit to Israel earlier this week, Romney used sharp language, saying that “any and all measures” should be considered to lead the effort to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Panetta appeared with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at a jointly funded U.S.-Israeli anti-rocket battery in southern Israel, then met in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Even as Panetta emphasized the Obama administration’s deep opposition to Iran’s nuclear program and America’s close partnership with Israel, the differences in the American and Israeli views regarding the need for urgent military action were clear.
Barak told reporters that the likelihood of sanctions curbing Iranian nuclear ambitions is “very, extremely low,” and suggested that the Iranians were simply stalling for time as they moved quickly to enrich the uranium they would need for a nuclear weapon.
“We have clearly something to lose by this stretch of time on which sanctions and diplomacy takes place because the Iranians are moving forward,” he said, standing next to Panetta.
Netanyahu reiterated that message in a brief statement following his meeting with the defense secretary. “However forceful our statements, they have not convinced Iran that we are serious about stopping them,” Netanyahu said. “Right now the Iranian regime believes that the international community does not have the will to stop its nuclear program. This must change quickly because the time to resolve this issue peacefully is running out.”
In remarks designed to increase pressure on the Iranians and reassure the Israelis, Panetta said repeatedly that the U.S. had developed military options to thwart the Iranian nuclear program if sanctions failed.
“We will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. Period,” Panetta said in a brief statement following his meeting with Netanyahu. “And we will exert all options in the effort to ensure that that does not happen.” In his joint appearance with the Israeli defense minister, Panetta noted that it was his responsibility to “provide the president with a full range of options, including military options, should diplomacy fail.”
Unlike the U.S. military, the Israel Defense Forces do not have tankers capable of refueling war planes in flight, nor is Israel’s arsenal of bunker busting bombs believed to be as effective as that of the U.S. at taking out deeply buried targets. Both of these shortcomings could limit the effectiveness of any unilateral action by the Israelis against the Iranian nuclear program.
Panetta spent the morning touring an anti-rocket battery developed by the Israelis with the assistance of the Americans and more than $200 million in U.S. aid. Last week President Obama pledged another $70 million to help Israel bolster the system, which is designed to shoot down short range rockets from Gaza and Lebanon. Panetta called the anti-rocket system a “game-changer” for the Israelis and said that it had shot down more than 80 percent of the rockets fired in recent months at Israeli cities.
The rocket system would not be effective against longer range Iranian missiles, which can only be countered with more sophisticated theater missile defense systems.
A unilateral Israeli strike on the Iranian program would likely trigger large reprisal strikes by Iran against Israel and U.S. targets in the Middle East. There would be intense pressure on the Obama administration to provide for Israel’s defense.
Panetta’s quick tour of the Iron Dome anti-rocket system was designed to highlight the close partnership between Israel and the U.S.
“This is the strongest alliance that we have...and we will continue to strengthen the military relationship,” Panetta said.