Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that if Iran succeeded in developing a nuclear weapon, a Middle East arms race would ensue with Saudi Arabia and Egypt eventually seeking nuclear weapons as well.
Speaking in an interview with US broadcaster Charlie Rose aired Wednesday, Barak conceded that if he were in Iran’s place he would “probably” attempt to acquire a nuclear weapon.
Barak said that he did not believe Israel was the sole impetus for Iran’s drive to attain nuclear weapons.
“Iran sees India, China, Pakistan and allegedly Israel around them with nuclear weapons” and they want them themselves, Barak stated.
In discussing the dangers that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose, Barak cited the recent western intervention in Libya as an action that could not have occurred had Muammar Gaddafi possessed a nuclear weapon.
The defense minister repeatedly refused to discuss a possible Israeli strike on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities, only reiterating the Israeli refrain that “no option should be taken off the table.” Barak stated that if the nations of the world were to unite on tough enough sanctions against Tehran, the Islamic Republic would be forced to abandon its nuclear program. However, he added that he harbors “no illusions” that such a step is imminent. Barak stated that the countries of the world have not been able to muster the “political will” to pass paralyzing sanctions in the UN Security Council. Also on Wednesday, Barak’s office issued a statement denying reports that he had canceled an appearance in Washington at Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s urging in order to avoid discussion of a potential attack on Iran.
Barak tries damage control after ‘Iran gaffe’
Israeli defence minister’s walks back from comments that appeared to empathise with Tehran’s alleged nuclear quest.
Al Jazeera
Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister, has reassured Israelis about his government’s resolve after he appeared to empathise with Iran’s alleged quest for nuclear weapons during a US television interview.
Barak’s suggestion that, were he Iranian, he would “probably” seek the bomb made headlines in Israel, where the government feels threatened by the Islamic republic but has looked to world powers to intervene with tough diplomacy.
Taking time off from a visit to Canada to brief Israel’s main radio broadcasters, Barak said on Thursday that his remarks, which were in English, had been partly misunderstood.
His attempt at damage control came as Yukiya Amano, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, said he wants to send a high-level delegation to Iran to address credible information that Iran had carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear bomb.
During a Wednesday appearance on the PBS program Charlie Rose, Barak was asked if he would “want a nuclear weapon” were he a member of Iran’s government.
“Probably, probably. I know, it’s not – I don’t delude myself that they are doing it just because of Israel,” he responded. “They look around, they see the Indians are nuclear, the Chinese are nuclear, Pakistan is nuclear … not to mention the
Russians.”
Empathy denied
Questioned about the remarks, Barak denied empathising with the Iranians and pointed out that he had also argued that the government there threatens Middle East stability and safeguards against the spread of nuclear weaponry.
“We cannot allow ourselves to be perceived as the country that sits and whinges and dreads and says, ‘They are going to do who-knows-what to us,’” Barak told Israel Radio. “We must make clear that we understand the matter thoroughly and that this is a challenge to the whole world, because it threatens the whole world.”
Barak, speaking to reporters in Hebrew, said his response on Charlie Rose amounted to “could be, I don’t know”.
He gave a similar explanation on Israel’s Army Radio, but one commentator fired back by reworking the hypothetical question: “If I were Israeli, I wouldn’t want my defence minister saying such things.”
Many in Israel say they fear an Iranian nuclear strike, while Tehran says its atomic programme is meant to supply energy needs.
Israel has long hinted it could launch last-ditch, preemptive attacks on Iranian atomic facilities.
‘Not very optimistic’
Barak also said, in advance of a meeting of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that he was “not very optimistic” about the prospects of strong new sanctions against Iran.
“I’m not very optimistic, there are difficulties in mobilising will in the world. That’s why we’re working to convince foreign leaders to impose strong and concrete sanctions to stop Iran,” he told public radio.
“Today there is an important meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, and we should not appear to be a country that whines, that is afraid, but simply stress that Iran has launched a challenge to the whole world…and the world must move,” he said.
The IAEA was expected to discuss passing a new resolution against Iran, after publishing intelligence last week indicating covert military dimensions to its uranium enrichment and other projects.
“Our technical experts have spent years painstakingly and objectively analysing a huge quantity of information from a wide variety of independent sources, including from a number of member states, from the agency’s own efforts and from information provided by Iran itself,” said Amano, the watchdog’s chief. “The agency finds the information to be, overall, credible.”
Amano said he hoped Iran would agree to an inspection date soon.
But Iran has dismissed the new IAEA report as meaningless and created in a hasty way, saying it is not seeking to create a nuclear programme.
