Obama "reverses" Biden: No green light for Israel to attack Iran.

As I noted (What did Biden really say about Israel and Iran? ) the US has not really changed its policy. US Vice President Biden did not say that the US would support an Israeli attack on Iran. What he was really saying was closer to what Lyndon Johnson said in 1967: "If you decide to attack first, you are on your own." That can be interpreted in many ways too. Of course, Biden had to say that that Israel is a sovereign country. He could hardly have said anything else. That's part of diplomatic hypocrisy.

 

Today there is the inevitable clarification (or further obfuscation) by US President Barack Obama, as reported by CNN below. What everyone would really like to get from Obama, but will never get of course, is a listing of what the US will do and will not do if Israel attacks Iran: The following lists some of the options.

 

• Allow Israeli overflight of Iraq officially
• Make believe it doesn't know about Israeli overflight of Iraq
• Support Israel in the UN,
• Vote against Israel in the UN
• Provide needed military equipment  
• Provide military intelligence and other support.
• Stop US military aid to Israel.

 

All the rest is just banter, diplomatic obfuscation and "signals."  What I understand is that the US is trying to leave all options open. At the same time the US wants to use the prospect of an Israeli attack as a threat to Iran and an incentive to engage seriously. What I sense is that if the time is right and Israel explains to the US that the time has run out on diplomatic pressure, the US will say something noncommital like, "We understand, but we can't be responsible for the consequences if you attack."  or "I didn't hear you say that, and this conversation never happened."  

 

Ami isseroff

 

Obama: No green light for Israel to attack Iran

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- The United States is "absolutely not" giving Israel a green light to attack Iran, U.S. President Barack Obama told CNN Tuesday.

 

"We have said directly to the Israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the Middle East," Obama said, referring to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

 

Obama has been in Moscow for a summit aimed at trying to reset the U.S.-Russian relationship.

 

On Sunday, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden appeared to leave the door open for Israel to attack Iran if it saw fit.

 

"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," Biden said on ABC's "This Week."

 

Obama said Tuesday that Biden had simply been stating a fact, not sending a signal.

 

"I think Vice President Biden stated a categorical fact, which is we can't dictate to other countries what their security interests are. What is also true is that it is the policy of the United States to resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear capabilities in a peaceful way through diplomatic channels," he said.

 

The State Department took a similar line on Monday.

 

"Our goal here is to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. When I say 'our' it is just not the United States -- it is the international community," spokesman Ian Kelly said. "Israel is a sovereign country. We are not going to dictate its actions. We also are committed to Israel's security and we share Israel's deep concerns about Iran's nuclear program."

 

Asked if this could be interpreted as the United States flashing a green light for Israel to attack Iran's nuclear sites, Kelly said, "I certainly would not want to give a green light to any kind of military action."

 

The Israeli government considers Iran's nuclear program to be the dominant threat facing the country.

 

CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry contributed to this report