Posted by
Cary Wesberry on Saturday, August 02, 2008 6:31:00 PM
Russian contractors are seen working at the Bushehr nuclear reactor site in south of Iran, on April 3, 2007. Photographer: Yalda Moaiery/document IRAN/ Bloomberg News.
Aug. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Iran is on a path toward a ``major breakthrough'' in its nuclear program that is ``unacceptable,'' Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz told a Washington audience today.
``It is an existential threat,'' Mofaz said at a forum on Iran at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. ``We have to make sure we are prepared for every option.''
Mofaz, a former Israeli army chief of staff, is a potential future leader of Israel because of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's planned departure from office. Mofaz is competing with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni for control of the ruling Kadima party after Olmert said July 30 that he won't compete in the party's Sept. 17 primary amid a corruption scandal.
While Mofaz accused the Iranian government of ``buying time'' in its resistance to international pressure to suspend uranium enrichment, he said the diplomatic ``track'' should continue.
``We don't want war, we want peace,'' Mofaz said. ``But we will not let the second Holocaust take place.''
The comments from Mofaz, who also serves as transportation minister, echoed statements he made last month to the Jerusalem Post that ``all options are on the table. If there won't be a choice other than a nuclear Iran or a military option, it's clear what our decision has to be.''
Similar threats he made in June contributed to a surge in oil prices.
It is apparent now that Israel will not sit by and allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons. Air strikes will occur most likely before our November elections, and with good cause. John McCain could win the Presidency; however, if you think the Bush Administration with Condi Rice was damaging Israel's national security just wait and see what Barack Obama has in store for the Jews.
Time has all but run out for Israel and Iran. The result of this conflict will surely bring a sharp increase in oil prices, but when compared to the threat of a nuclear armed Iran it is almost inconsequential. When the dust settles, so will the oil prices. If the American People can force our Congress to actually do something instead of nothing when it comes to domestic drilling, the spike in oil prices due to an Israeli attack on Iran would be short lived.
The main issue here is keeping Iran from not only building a nuclear missile capable of striking Israel, but to also prevent them from turning over nuclear weapons to their surrogates in Hamas and Hezbollah.