US and Israel differ over timing of potential attack

Tehran: The US and Israel are publicly disagreeing over timing for a potential attack on Iran's disputed nuclear facilities, as that nation's leader said it won't back down.

The US and Israel have a "significant analytic difference" over estimates of how close Iran is to shielding its nuclear programme from attack, Aaron David Miller, a former Mideast peace negotiator in the Clinton administration, said on Friday.

"There's a growing concern — more than a concern — that the Israelis, in order to protect themselves, might launch a strike without approval, warning or even foreknowledge," he said in an interview.

The differing views were underscored by public comments last week by senior Israeli and US defence officials.

‘Nearing readiness'

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Thursday that Israel must consider conducting "an operation" before Iran reaches an "immunity zone," referring to Iran's goal of protecting its uranium enrichment and other nuclear operations by moving them to deep underground facilities such as one at Fordo, near the holy city of Qom.

"The world has no doubt that Iran's nuclear programme is steadily nearing readiness and is about to enter an immunity zone," Barak said in an address to the annual Herzliya Conference at the Interdisciplinary Centre campus north of Tel Aviv.

"If the sanctions don't achieve their goal of halting Iran's nuclear weapons programme, there will arise the need of weighing an operation," Barak said.

The US holds the view that "there is still time and space to pursue diplomacy" with Iran over its nuclear programme, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Friday in Washington. He added that the US "is absolutely committed to preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons."

The US Senate Banking Committee unanimously approved on Thursday a bill that would increase the economic pressure on Iran. The proposal targets Iran-related banking transactions, Iran's national oil company and leading tanker fleet, joint ventures in mining and energy projects.

It also would require corporate disclosure of Iran-related activity to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

One provision calls on the administration to provide a report to Congress within 60 days detailing Iran-related financial transactions facilitated by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, the Belgian member-owned institution known as Swift, and its competitors.