Clinton Remark on Iran Raises Concern in Israel
In a television interview in Bangkok, Clinton talked about extending a "defense umbrella" over U.S. allies in the Middle East in the event Iran develops a nuclear weapon.
"We want Iran to calculate what I think is a fair assessment: that if the United States extends a defense umbrella over the region, if we do even more to develop the military capacity of those (allies) in the Gulf, it is unlikely that Iran will be any stronger or safer because they won't be able to intimidate and dominate as they apparently believe they can once they have a nuclear weapon," Clinton said, according to the Associated Press.
The reaction from Israel was swift, with some expressing concern that the comments were an indication that the U.S. would accept a nuclear-armed Iran.
"I heard, unenthusiastically, the Americans' statement that they will defend their allies in the event that Iran arms itself with an atomic bomb, as if they have already reconciled with this possibility, and this is a mistake," Dan Meridor, Israel's minister for secret services, told Army Radio, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
"Now, we don't need to deal with the assumption that Iran will attain nuclear weapons but to prevent this," Meridor added.
Later Clinton sought to clarify the remarks by saying that she was "not suggesting any new policy" during a press conference in Phuket, Thailand, where she attended a security conference.
"In fact we all believe that Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons is unacceptable, and I've said that many times," Clinton said, according to AFP.
"I'm simply pointing out that Iran needs to understand that it's pursuit of nuclear weapons will not advance its security or achieve its goals of enhancing its power regionally and globally," she said.
The AP notes that Clinton mentioned the notion of a "defense umbrella" earlier this year, but officials said it has not been more than an amorphous idea.
Haaretz reports that a senior U.S. delegation, led by National Security Adviser James Jones, will arrive in Israel next week, along with President Obama's special Mideast adviser Dennis Ross and representatives from the CIA and the departments of Defense, Treasury and State.