Netanyahu aide: US contrasting with Israel on Iran

JERUSALEM — Comments by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden about a possible Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities were directed at Iran and meant to “distinguish” the U.S. from Israel, the Israeli premier’s national security adviser said Wednesday.

Also, American leaders are signaling Iran that the U.S. is still interested in diplomatic engagement, the adviser, Uzi Arad, told The Associated Press.

Speaking to ABC-TV on Sunday, Biden appeared to depart from his previous comment that an Israeli attack on Iran would be ill-advised, saying: “Israel can determine for itself — it’s a sovereign nation — what’s in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else.”

The following day, Obama in a visit to Moscow was asked by CNN if Biden’s comment’s represented the U.S. giving Israel a “green light” to attack.

“Absolutely not,” the president replied.

The next day, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, warned that a military strike to thwart Iran’s nuclear weapons capability could have grave and unpredictable consequences. Iran has denied trying to build nuclear bombs.

Arad said the back-and-forth was an American message toward Iran, rather than Israel, noting that Biden also said in the interview, “If the Iranians respond to the offer of engagement, we will engage.”

“My understanding of what Biden said is that the second part is the interesting part — not that Israel is sovereign to act, but that he said the United States acts differently. Essentially, he distinguished himself” from Israel, Arad said. “What was important for him was to transmit to the Iranians that we, the United States, are different.”

Israel is uncomfortable with the attempt to open talks with Iran, fearing that this would give the Iranians more time to build their weapons. Israel has called for world action to stop the Iranian nuclear program and has not taken its own military options off the table.

Arad said Obama’s quick rebuttal was meant to clarify that the United States was still interested in engagement — despite prospects for dialogue being rattled by Iran’s heavy crackdown on protesters in the country’s disputed presidential election — and was not suggesting that his administration would not stand in the way of an Israeli strike.

“The president felt the need to correct the impression that Biden’s comments made,” he added.

Arad, one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top aides, said Israeli officials have often discussed the Iran issue in Washington.

Israel considers Iran a strategic threat because of its nuclear program and missile development, dismissing Iranian denials that it intends to build nuclear weapons.

Israel has been quiet publicly regarding its military intentions but has sent several signals to Iran.

This week an Israeli submarine said by foreign experts to have the capability of carrying nuclear-tipped missiles returned to the Mediterranean after crossing to the Red Sea in the direction of Iran, a mission seen as a warning. Also, Israel has held air force maneuvers that were described unofficially as practicing an attack on Iranian targets.

Arad insisted that Israel’s right to decide its own self defense is a right that “the United States cannot take away from Israel, and doesn’t try to.”