IAEA Report on Iran Puts Israel in a Box

Peter J. Munson — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 12:01:09 +0000

IAEA Report on Iran Puts Israel in a Box

The New York Times reports today that a new International Atomic Energy Agency report suggests that the Iranian nuclear program is rapidly approaching a red line at which Israeli strikes will be unable to touch it. Additionally, sanctions and other soft pressure do not seem to be derailing the program.

Thus, today's SWJ article on the costs of war with Iran is a timely read.

From the NYT:

For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday offered findings validating his longstanding position that while harsh economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation may have hurt Iran, they have failed to slow Tehran’s nuclear program. If anything, the program is speeding up.

But the agency’s report has also put Israel in a corner, documenting that Iran is close to crossing what Israel has long said is its red line: the capability to produce nuclear weapons in a location invulnerable to Israeli attack.

In the words of former U.S. official:

“They can’t do it right without us,” a former adviser to Mr. Obama said recently. “And we’re trying to persuade them that a strike that just drives the program more underground isn’t a solution; it’s a bigger problem.”