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Olmert says discussions over Iran’s nuclear program do not reflect reality
Tuesday, August 14, 2012 15:18
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TEHRAN – Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday leveled harsh criticism at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the government’s handling of the Iranian nuclear issue, saying that Israeli officials are busy “stirring up overblown drama,” Ynetnews reported.
During a meeting with students at Ono Academic College, Olmert said that “the current situation does not require Israeli military action – now or in the near future.”
“The question is how we deal with it. Back in 2003 they said that in 2007 Iran will have a bomb. Now it’s 2012, and there is no bomb,” he noted.
Referring to the public discussion surrounding a potential military strike in Iran, the former prime minister admitted that he was very worried by recent newspaper headlines. “This issue inflicts massive public damage to Israel. I live among my people; I hear and see the anxiety on the faces of the citizens.”
Addressing the timing of a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Olmert said that “Iran is far from reaching the threshold from which there is no way back. Statements by which (a strike) is inevitable do not truthfully reflect the current situation from what is known to the security establishment.”
“Discussions over Iran’s nuclear program do not reflect reality,” added Olmert, according to the Jerusalem Post. “We do not have to be hysterical. We have to calm down.”
Attack on Iran means regional war
Former IDF Operations Commander Yisrael Ziv told Army Radio on Sunday that an Israeli military attack on Iran would ignite a regional war, Israel National News reported.
In addition, the online version of Globes, a Hebrew language daily evening financial newspaper published in Israel, on Sunday quoted leading economists as saying that an attack by Israel will cause a sharp jump in oil prices, and a severe worldwide recession.
And White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said on Monday that the U.S. administration, “Continues to believe that there is time and space for diplomacy” vis-à-vis Iran, Ynetnews reported.
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