CFR to Bush: Stop Israeli strike on Iran's nuke sites

A report by the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations urged the Bush administration to stop any Israeli attempt to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. The council warned that such an Israeli attack would be blamed on the United States and hurt its interests in the region."Since Washington would be blamed for any unilateral Israeli military strike, the United States should, in any case, make it quite clear to Israel that U.S. interests would be adversely affected by such a move," the report, entitled "Iran: Time for a New Approach," said.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the United States supports Israel's right to what he termed weapons of deterrence, regarded as a reference to nuclear weapons, Middle East Newsline reported. He said the United States was also pressing Iran to halt its nuclear weapons program.
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"Israel faces an existential threat, and it must be able to defend itself by itself by preserving its deterrent capability," Sharon said. "We have received here a clear American position that says in other words that Israel must not be touched when it comes to its deterrent capability."

An air strike on Iran's nuclear facilities would incur civilian casualties, the report said. It pointed out that many of Iran's nuclear facilities have been located in or near urban centers.

Israel has never directly threatened Iran's nuclear facilities. But the Sharon government has warned that it would not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapons arsenal.

The U.S. report, drafted by an independent task force sponsored by the council, said Washington should resolve concerns over Iran's nuclear weapons program by coordinating with the European Union. But the council ruled out any military attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

"In addition, any military effort to eliminate Iranian weapons capabilities runs the significant risk of reinforcing Teheran's desire to acquire a nuclear deterrent and of provoking nationalist passions in defense of that very course," the task force said. "It would most likely generate also hostile Iranian initiatives in Iraq and Afghanistan."

The report also said direct U.S. efforts to overthrow the Iranian clerical regime would not succeed. The council said the regime could eventually provide greater liberties to its people.

"Despite considerable political flux and popular dissatisfaction, Iran is not on the verge of another revolution," the report, entitled ". The current Iranian government appears to be durable and likely to persist in power for the short- and even medium-term. However, Iran's generational shift and prevailing popular frustration with the government portend the eventual transformation to a more democratic political order in the long term. That process is too deeply entrenched in Iran’s political history and social structure to be derailed or even long delayed."