Despite attempts to align their positions on Iran’s nuclear program, Israel and the United States were publicly at odds Monday over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for Washington to set a "clear red line" beyond which it would launch a military attack.
A day after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States is "not setting deadlines" for Iran and considers negotiations the best approach, a senior Israeli official charged that "these statements won’t serve to deter Iran, but could well put it at ease."
"Without a clear red line Iran will not cease its race toward a nuclear weapon," said the senior official, who was not authorized to identify himself by name. "These statements will not stop Iran’s centrifuges from spinning. Unfortunately, the opposite could well be true."
Netanyahu told an interviewer Sunday that Israel is discussing red lines with the United States. He did not say whether those discussions include any new offers from the Obama administration, but White House press secretary Jay Carney waved off that suggestion Monday.