Israel will strike Iran without warning US - intelligence source

Israeli officials say if they decide to launch a pre-emptive attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, they will do so without the prior consent or knowledge of the US, according to an AP report citing leaked US intelligence.

The message was conveyed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to a number of senior US officials visiting the country, the news agency said, citing a US intelligence source. The official spoke about the sensitive strategic negotiations on condition of anonymity. Both the US and Israel declined to make any official comment.

Tel Aviv insists its strategy is necessary in order to protect Washington from being blamed for failing to stop an Israeli attack, should it take place. But it may also signify Israeli frustration over America’s position on the conflict.

America has told its Middle Eastern ally that it will neither take military action against Iran nor back unilateral action on the part of Israel. Washington favors sanctions over brute force as a means to stop Iran’s controversial nuclear program.

The news of Israel’s unilateral intentions comes ahead of a key visit to the US by Netanyahu, planned for early March. The Israeli premier reportedly ordered his ministers not to publicly discuss the Iranian nuclear program in an apparent damage limitation move ahead of his trip. The report of the “gagging order” came a day after Defense Minister Barak gave a lengthy TV interview in which he spoke of the danger posed by Iran.

Western countries and Israel are convinced that Iran’s uranium enrichment program is aimed at developing nuclear weapons capability. Israel is determined not to allow this to happen. Iran insists that its nuclear pursuits are purely civilian.

Tensions rose again last week after a leaked UN nuclear watchdog report stated “serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear program.”

In the latest bid to halt the enrichment, the US and EU issued sanctions against Iran’s oil industry. However they failed to rally all major buyers of Iranian oil to their banner. Tehran remains adamant that the move will not divert it from its nuclear research.

'IRAN WILL NOT GIVE UP ON NUCLEAR PROGRAM'

An Iranian member of Majlis (parliament) says the assassination of Iranian scientists seeking to halt Iran's nuclear program will prove counterproductive.

“They seek two objectives. They want to intimidate our people and create some kind of security situation in the country. Through assassinations they also think they can eliminate our scientists for good,” Laleh Eftekhari said.

“Quite the opposite these measures only become yet another reason for many young students to follow suit,” she stressed.

Iran lost one of its scientists to a terrorist attack on Wednesday, after an unknown motorcyclist attached a magnetic bomb to the vehicle of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan near Allameh Tabatabaei University in Tehran.

The Iranian expert was killed instantly and his driver, who sustained injuries, died a few hours later in a hospital.

Ahmadi Roshan was a Sharif University of Technology chemical engineering graduate and served as the deputy director of marketing at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility.

“As maintained by the Leader [Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei] we have chosen a scientific path that has its costs. Our enemies will not sit and watch our progress, especially if are going to become a role model for others,” a Sharif University student who was attending Ahmadi Roshan's funeral said on Friday.

In November 2011, some of the US presidential hopefuls openly called for conducting covert operations ranging from assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists to launching a military strike on Iran as well as sabotaging Tehran's nuclear program.

The assassination calls have been anything but idle threats as a number of Iranian scientists have been killed in cold blood over the past few years. Professor Majid Shahriari and Professor Masoud Ali-Mohammadi are among the victims of these acts of terror.

On November 29, 2010, Shahriari and Fereydoun Abbasi were targeted by terrorist attacks. Shahriari was killed immediately and Dr. Abbasi, the current director of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, sustained injuries.

Iran's Foreign Ministry blasted on Friday the US and UK governments for their obvious roles in assassinating the Iranian scientist in two strongly-worded letters of protest to the two countries.

"The Islamic Republic reserves the right to follow up on the issue accordingly," Iran's Foreign Ministry said.
Source: www.presstv.com