Israel rules out attack on Iranian nuclear site

Israel’s army chief has ruled out a pre-emptive attack against Iranian nuclear sites, despite their apparent effort to build nuclear weapons, an Israeli newspaper reported today.

The international community has been scrambling to cobble together a programme for pressuring Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions. Iran removed UN seals from its main uranium enrichment facility on January 10 and resumed its research on nuclear fuel.

Iran says its programme is simply meant to develop peaceful nuclear energy, but the West and Israel believe Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons.

Israel considers Tehran to be its greatest threat, and recent statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calling for Israel’s destruction have only fuelled those fears.

Israel has been working to try to create an international coalition to pressure Iran to stop its nuclear programme. A team of top Israeli security officials was in Russia today to seek support against Tehran in the UN Security Council.

The Haaretz daily newspaper reported that Israel was holding talks with US and European officials about possible international sanctions to be applied to Iran.

The proposals included an oil embargo in Iran, barring Iran’s soccer team from the World Cup, denying visas to top Iranian officials and preventing Iranian aircraft from landing abroad, the newspaper reported.

Speaking at Haifa University last night, Israeli Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said that Iran, Israel’s sworn enemy, was the only remaining threat to the country’s existence. However, Israel would not wage a military strike against Iran, he said.

“Even though we are talking about an immediate threat, we aren’t the ones who should do this,” he said, according to the Yediot Ahronot daily.

Last week, EU negotiators said two years of nuclear talks with Iran had reached a dead end and recommended the issue be referred to the Security Council. But the support of Russia and China for sanctions was uncertain.

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel would not allow a state “with hostile intentions against us to have control over weapons of mass destruction that can endanger our existence”.

“I believe there is a way to guarantee that nonconventional weapons won’t be found in irresponsible hands that can endanger world peace,” Olmert said.

Israeli officials have said in recent months that they will not act unilaterally to stop Iran’s nuclear programme, but were relying on an international solution to the problem.