Middle East Online 03 Luglio 2008

US Joint Chiefs of Staff says American army would find 'third front' hard if Israel attacks Iran

WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush said Wednesday that "military options remain on the table" in nuclear disputes with Iran but underlined that he preferred a diplomatic resolution.

"I have always said that diplomacy has got to be the first choice of solving any of these problems. But military options remain on the table," Bush said in a roundtable interview with Japanese news outlets.

The president had been asked whether the six-country-talks approach he embraced for dealing with North Korea could be effective with Iran and about charges he ignored diplomacy when it came to Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Bush has frequently warned that he has not ruled out using force against Iran, but has done so less frequently amid six-country diplomatic efforts aimed at defusing the nuclear dispute with North Korea.

White House aides and Bush himself have said that it would be irresponsible for a US president to categorically rule out using force, saying that could de-fang diplomatic efforts with difficult countries.

US army to find 'third front' hard if Israel attacks Iran

Opening up a third front would pose a challenge for the US military already deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, a top US military chief said Wednesday amid concerns Israel may attack Iran.

"From the US military perspective, opening up a third front right now would be extremely stressful on us," the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen told a press conference.

"That doesn't mean we don't have capacity or reserve. But that would really be very challenging and also the consequences of that sometimes are very difficult to predict."

Israel has said it will attack Iran to stop Tehran developing a nuclear bomb, amid speculation that it is seeking Washington's tacit approval for a strike against Iran.

Israel is a key US ally in the Middle East, with a strong pro-Israel lobby that in Washington that makes sure US foreign policies are always in favour of Tel Aviv.

But the US Army is already stretched with thousands of troops committed to fighting insurgencies in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mullen, who has just returned from a visit to Israel, refused to comment on what the US ally might be planning.

"But I'm convinced that the solution still lies in using other elements of national power to change Iranian behavior, include diplomatic, financial and international pressure.

"There is a need for better clarity, even dialogue at some level."

Source > Middle East Online

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