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Iran
“The latest revelations about Iran's nuclear program underscore the need for concerted diplomatic action, and bolster the argument against the kind of saber-rattling that has come from the Administration in recent months. This newest information supports what I have said all along: We need to give diplomacy with Iran more of a chance. I continue to favor dialogue between our two countries, in contrast to the Administration's belligerent and stiff-necked refusal to talk with Tehran. And I believe we need to use every means at our disposal - economic, political and diplomatic - to persuade Iranians that peaceful development of energy options, free of any hint of military use, is well within reach.”
—Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Lantos (D-CA), the only Holocaust survivor in the US Congress and one of Israel's leading advocates on Capitol Hill, before his untimely passing on February 11, 2008.
Obama: Tighten screws on Iran
JTA, August 25, 2008
Sen. Barack Obama said the world should tighten the screws on Iran before Israel feels its back is up against the wall. “My job as president would be to try to make sure that we are tightening the screws diplomatically on Iran, that we've mobilized the world community to go after Iran's program in a serious way, to get sanctions in place so that Iran starts making a difficult calculation,” the Democratic nominee said. “…We have to act much more forcefully and effectively on the world stage to contain Iran's nuclear capabilities.”
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Israeli Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit (Kadima): Israel must not attack Iran, except in line of defense
Ha'aretz, August 22, 2008
Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit, the cabinet minister responsible for the Mossad espionage agency, the Shin Bet security service, the Atomic Energy Commission and Military Intelligence said that Israel must not attack Iran, but only defend itself if attacked. “And if we do attack, I am not sure it will scuttle the project, or even delay it. I doubt we will be attacked [by Iran with nuclear weapons]. Every country will fully understand the consequences of such an attack.” Many senior Israeli military figures share his opinion, he says.
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US Defense Secretary Gates: U.S. Should Engage Iran With Incentives, Pressure: We need to develop leverage, then sit down and talk with them
Karen DeYoung, The Washington Post, May 15, 2008
The United States should construct a combination of incentives and pressure to engage Iran, and may have missed earlier opportunities to begin a useful dialogue with Tehran, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday.
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Pentagon chief: War with Iran would be 'disastrous'
Amir Oren, Haaretz, July 28, 2008
A war with Iran would be “disastrous on a number of levels,” according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
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Five Questions Israel Should Ask Before Bombing Iran
Gershom Gorenberg, The American Prospect, July 17, 2008
Asking some basic questions about an Israeli attack on Iran suggests that it would be unwise.
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Republicans and Our Enemies
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., The Wall Street Journal, May 23, 2008
Because of the policies Mr. Bush has pursued and Mr. McCain would continue, the entire Middle East is more dangerous. The United States and our allies, including Israel, are less secure.
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Why Bush Folded on Iran
Juan Cole, Salon, July 31, 2008
Reality, of the military and petroleum-based variety, forced the administration to change course. Now Bush sounds like Obama.
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Air Force Think Tank Advises Against Attack
Jim Lobe, Interpress Service News Agency, July 30, 2008
Amid rising speculation about the possibility of an Israeli or U.S. bombing attack on Iranian nuclear facilities earlier this month, a major study produced for the U.S. Air Force by a top defence think tank concluded that U.S. military action against Iran was “likely to have negative effects for the United States”....The RAND study bolsters those who favour engagement with Iran, even as it also supports the maintenance of certain kinds of sanctions, notably the embargo on certain high-tech gas liquefaction technologies, as a bargaining chip for future negotiations with Tehran. To increase pressure on the regime, the report also recommends expanding contingency plans to seize Iranian foreign bank and commercial accounts and encouraging U.S. allies to bar certain Iranian officials associated with the nuclear programme from obtaining visas for foreign travel.
As for the possibility of an attack, however, the report is clear that such an option will almost certainly be counter-productive, particularly with respect to Washington's hopes that it could result in diminished support for the regime or even its overthrow....Moreover, such an attack “would be unlikely to stop the Iranian nuclear programme,” according to the authors. While it might set back the economy in certain ways, the resulting increase in oil prices would enable the government “to finance the reconstruction of the facility and continue the current programme without major budgetary consequences.”
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