Could military force still be used against Iran? | World Defense

Could military force still be used against Iran?

Redheart

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Nuclear talks: Could force still be used against Iran? - CNN.com

Does Thursday's framework deal on Iran's nuclear program take the military option off the table?

Not entirely, but it's a lot closer to the back burner than it was before.

The parties reached a preliminary deal to curb Iran's nuclear efforts Thursday, which gives the five world powers negotiating with Tehran until the end of June to work out all the details.

The diplomatic progress lessens the likelihood of a strike, but it doesn't completely rule it out. Critics such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might still decide the deal is so bad that force will be necessary to stop an Iranian nuclear weapon. And American and European distrust of Iran -- and a decision by Tehran to violate the deal and rush toward weaponization -- could bring the West to the same point.

An Israeli strike?

Israel, which isn't at the negotiating table, has vowed to act alone if necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. And an Israeli military intervention could set back Iran's program several years -- likely two to three, according to several military experts.

The Israeli Air Force, which took out nuclear reactors in Iraq and Syria in secret missions, could pummel most of Iran's nuclear infrastructure, slowing Tehran's path to a bomb and forcing the Iranians to either begin rebuilding or give up on their nuclear ambitions, which they maintain are peaceful.

But despite Netanyahu's tough rhetoric against Iran and the deal in the works, the Prime Minister hasn't acted. That's partly because Tehran hasn't come close enough to a nuclear weapon to send jets scrambling, but it's also because the United States and world powers have continued to sit around the table with Iran. And Wednesday's framework deal only strengthens the diplomatic momentum.

"It will be very difficult for an Israeli government to act when the international community, including all the superpowers, reach a deal," said Gen. Amos Yadlin, who served as the head of Israeli military intelligence and as the country's military attache in Washington. He stressed Israel's need for "legitimacy" — or international understanding — for its position that an attack was necessary before it would take that step.

Israel would face biting public criticism and potentially even U.N. Security Council resolutions condemning the action if an Israeli strike came amid a continued diplomatic push, according to Dan Arbell, former deputy chief of mission at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.

"It will cloud the relationship that Israel has with these countries," Arbell, now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said of the P5+1, the five members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany that have been negotiating with Iran.

Instead, it's more likely Netanyahu would stick to public diplomacy and work through the U.S. Congress rather than green light a unilateral strike. But if Iran violates the term of the agreement, that could open up the door for Israeli action, Yadlin said.
 
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Well as the article said, the Israelis are not going to stand by and do nothing. If, in their opinion, the possible diplomatic solution is effective then all is good. If they judge that this diplomatic solution still leaves Iran with the possibility of developing nuclear weapons then they will probably act to take away that possibility, whether that is with sabotage or a more direct military strike.
 

Redheart

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And since Saudi Arabia isn't exactly all that keen on seeing a nuclear armed Iran, the Israelis at least know they have an "ally" amongst enemies. So the mission would be successful should it be necessary to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. The war that would follow though . . .
 

gmckee1985

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We'll probably see military action against Iran but it wont come from the United States. I think youll see natioms like Israel and Saudi Arabia put togethet some type of coalition together. Sad to see the United States as a spectator.
 
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