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Israel still mulls preventative strike on Iran - Russian expert

© hoyasmeg Israel still mulls preventative strike on Iran - Russian expert
 Israel still mulls preventative strike on Iran - Russian expert  - Sputnik International
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Israel is not threatening anyone but has not yet decided if it would be right and necessary to launch a preventive strike against nuclear facilities in Iran, a senior Russian academic said on Monday.

MOSCOW, July 6 (RIA Novosti) - Israel is not threatening anyone but has not yet decided if it would be right and necessary to launch a preventive strike against nuclear facilities in Iran, a senior Russian academic said on Monday.

"Israel understands that the threat is growing and its main problem is whether or not to deliver a preventive strike, while there is still no bomb or once it is clear that only five minutes remain, together with the United States or without it," Georgy Mirsky, a senior research fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations with the Russian Academy of Sciences, told RIA Novosti.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden suggested in an interview with ABC television that Washington would not get in Israel's way if Tel Aviv decided to attack nuclear facilities in Iran.

"We cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do when they make a determination ... their survival is threatened by another country," he told the U.S. broadcaster.

Mirsky said there was public pressure on the Israeli government to act on Iran.

"The people of Israel demand that the government do something before it is too late, and it will already be too late when Iran can answer with a nuclear strike," the Russian academic said.

"An attack must be conducted together with the United States. But even in this case there would be no certainty that all nuclear facilities had been destroyed," he added.

"However, from the political point of view it would be the most disastrous catastrophe that could happen for America. All [U.S. President] Barack Obama's policies would be ruined," Mirsky said.

The United States, Israel and some other Western countries suspect Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapons program, while Tehran insists that it is intended solely for civilian purposes.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in May Tehran test-launched an advanced surface-to-surface missile capable of hitting Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf.

Ahmadinejad is known for his anti-Israel rhetoric, adding to Western concerns over Iran's nuclear program. He is most famous for saying that Israel should be wiped off the map and called on Europe or North America to host a Jewish state.

Obama has promised more diplomatic engagement with Tehran, something that was resisted under his predecessor.

Israel is not against plans by the U.S. administration to enter into dialogue with Tehran, but has urged that the talks be limited to strict timeframes, demanding that other measures be used should negotiations fail.

Tel Aviv has repeatedly stated that it is capable of defending its country and warned of preventive strikes against Iran if Tehran pursues a nuclear weapons program.

 

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