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March 2nd, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
“I also don’t, as a matter of sound policy, go around advertising exactly
what our intentions are.”
Mr Obama emphasised that the US’s current policy included diplomatic pressure,
political isolation and “unprecedented and crippling” economic
sanctions.
He also mentioned the presence of “a military component” adding: “When
I say we are not taking any option off the table we mean it. We are going to
continue to apply pressure until Iran takes a different course.”
He claimed the risk of an Iranian bomb being passed to terrorist groups –
which Tehran would feel emboldened in supporting – was “profound”,
and that surrounding states would feel forced to follow suit.
“It is almost certain that other players in the region would feel it
necessary to get their own nuclear weapons,” he added. “So now you
have the prospect of a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region in the
world, one that is rife with unstable governments and sectarian tensions.”
The president is due to meet Mr Netanyahu for a showdown at the White House on
Monday amid mounting tensions between their two administrations over the
Iranian crisis. While Mr Obama is anxious to avoid being sucked into a fresh
conflict months before the US presidential election, Israeli officials have
threatened to pre-emptively strike Iran’s nuclear facilities unless
Washington delivers a more bellicose warning to Tehran.
Mr Netanyahu is said to be frustrated with mixed messages coming from
Washington, warning from Ottawa on Friday evening that Israel has a right to
defend itself.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, last month
cautioned that an attack on Iran now would destabilise the region.
The
Israeli prime minister is expected to seek “red lines” from the president
that will trigger action if crossed by the Iranians. Mr Obama
declined to outline what such limits were for the US and warned Israel that
a hasty attack would allow Iran to portray itself as a “victim”.
Professor Daniel Byman, the director of the Center for Peace and Security
Studies and a Middle East expert, said that Mr Obama was “ratcheting up
his rhetoric” to “convince Israel that they are not on their own
with this”.
“His remarks show real concern in the administration that Israel is going
to strike Iran in defiance of American pressure,” said Prof Byman. “He
has always had this threat on the table, but has never emphasised it quite
so strongly.
“He is trying to convince Israel that he has not decided that the US will
not attack Iran, ironically in the hope of putting off an Israeli strike and
giving sanctions a little more time.”
Mr Obama claimed in his interview that economic sanctions were placing Tehran
in “a world of hurt”. Earlier this week Jay Carney, his spokesman,
made clear that Washington wanted to allow the sanctions to impact Tehran’s
decision-making.
“We believe that there is time and space to continue to pursue that
approach,” said Mr Carney, “even as we refuse and make clear that
we do not take any option off the table in our effort to prevent Iran from
acquiring a nuclear weapon.”
Mr Obama said that the US and Israel were of the shared view that “Iran
does not yet have a nuclear weapon and is not yet in a position to obtain a
nuclear weapon without us having a pretty long lead time in which we will
know that they are making that attempt”.
Monday’s talks come nine months after the last Washington meeting between the
pair, which ended with the Israeli prime minister delivering a humiliating
lecture to his host in front of television cameras in the Oval Office.
Mr Obama, who is frequently accused of being lukewarm towards the US-Israeli
alliance, stressed that his message to the Israeli people was: “We’ve
got Israel’s back”. However he appeared to acknowledge that his
relationship with Mr Netanyahu was cool.
“I actually think the relationship is very functional,” Mr Obama
said.
Asked if the pair were “friends”, he replied: “Both of us have
so much on our plates that there’s not always a lot of time to have
discussions beyond business”.
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