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Last update - 11:42 06/07/2009
Israel seeks 'Plan B' if U.S.-Iran talks fail
By Barak Ravid
Tags: Israel News, Iran, Joe Biden 

Israel is urging the United States and other countries to start preparing now for the possibility that Washington's proposed dialogue with Iran will fail, by readying a "Plan B" that includes "paralyzing sanctions" and other measures against Tehran.

The U.S. has resisted this idea so far.

The Israeli messages - sent against the background of the recent unrest in Iran - have been delivered to the White House, the State Department and senior officials in the U.S. intelligence community by senior officials in the Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign Ministry. Similar messages have been sent to senior officials in Germany, Russia, France and Japan.
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Israel's argument is that if the Americans are indeed committed to imposing "paralyzing sanctions" on Iran should the dialogue fail - as both U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have said in the past - the work of drafting these sanctions must begin now.

"Israel is adjusting its messages to the new circumstances created by the unrest in Iran," a senior government official said. "These things must be stated clearly now so that there is no confusion about our position."

Before the protests in Iran began, the official explained, Israel's assessment was that the planned American-Iranian dialogue had little chance of succeeding. But in light of the protests, and the need of Iranian hard-liners to shore up their rule, Israel's intelligence community believes the chances of the dialogue even beginning, much less succeeding, are near zero.

"In the situation that has arisen following the protests in Iran, there is much greater international readiness for harsh steps against the regime in Tehran," the official noted.

However, Washington has so far rejected the "Plan B" idea.

American officials involved in the Iranian issue have told their Israeli counterparts that they are aware of the frustration in Israel, Europe and the Gulf states over Washington's insistence on going ahead with the dialogue with Iran, and that they also do not believe the chances of success are high.

Nevertheless, they said, were the U.S. to start laying the groundwork for stiffer sanctions now, this would signal to the Iranians that Obama is not serious about dialogue with Tehran, which would foil any chances of success that the dialogue might have.

This exchange of messages has a positive side: The two countries have at least resumed serious conversation on the Iranian issue, after a hiatus of almost six months.

On the negative side, however, Israel's concern about Washington's lack of alternative plan should the dialogue fail remains unassuaged. Germany, Britain and France are all thought to share this concern.

Israeli officials dealing with the Iranian issue said cooperation with Germany, Britain and France has been very fruitful, and that the three European powers have been working with Israel to achieve two goals: getting the U.S. to assess the progress of the dialogue with Iran during the UN General Assembly meeting in September, rather than waiting another few months, and securing publication of the military appendix to the International Atomic Energy Agency report on Iran due to be submitted in September.

Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said yesterday that Israel will decide for itself whether to attack Iran.

In an interview with ABC television, Biden said: "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. Whether we agree or not. They're entitled to do that. Any sovereign nation is entitled to do that."

Biden insisted that pressure from Israel or other countries would not affect American's planned dialogue with Iran. "There is no pressure from any nation that is going to alter our behavior as to how to proceed," he said, adding that Washington believes this dialogue serves America's interests, as well as those of Israel and the rest of the world.

But "if the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that," he continued. "That is not our choice."

The U.S., he stressed, "cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do."

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      1.   War Has Always Been `Plan-A` 02:34  |  Jordan 06/07/09
      2.   Plan B 03:12  |  MichaelF 06/07/09
      3.   peace 03:17  |  c.schmidt 06/07/09
      4.   After failing to link North Korea 03:17  |  Chris linthwaite 06/07/09
      5.   It maybe to late 03:43  |  Bloodyscot 06/07/09
      6.   when does plan A end & plan B begin ? 03:52  |  zionist forever 06/07/09
      7.   Israel and Diplomacy 04:08  |  Raphael 06/07/09
      8.   There will probably be war - because that`s what Israel wants 04:39  |  peaeclover 06/07/09
      9.   The US is rapidly making itself irrelevant to world affairs 04:48  |  IW 06/07/09
      10.   Peace is possible?War is not the answer. 04:59  |  Issa Dadoush 06/07/09
      11.   Like an animal feeding its young,Israel.. 05:00  |  maoriboy 06/07/09
      12.   Israeli war mongering and diversion 05:46  |  Sam 06/07/09
      13.   PLAN B - MAD 05:50  |  Mark of Lewiston 06/07/09
      14.   To $ 7 Israel and Diplomacy 06:10  |  Dan 06/07/09
      15.   Plan B? 06:13  |  James 06/07/09
      16.   WAR MONGERS 06:45  |  BJ 06/07/09
      17.   #7 06:52  |  Iranian Jew 06/07/09
      18.   do not mess with Iran 07:10  |  Maz 06/07/09
      19.   Biden`s (and Omabas) message to Israel 07:19  |  Natallie Durson 06/07/09
      20.   "Plan B" is Israeli attempt to convert Obama to Bush 07:38  |  Jamil Serazi 06/07/09
      21.   There is not going to be a Plan B, not necesary 07:43  |  James Gordon 06/07/09
      22.   Plan C!!!!!!!!!!! 07:47  |  Yosemite 06/07/09
      23.   ?Possession of nuclear weapons to be one of Iran?s top goals?. 07:53  |  Lane 06/07/09
      24.   Dialog With Russia Will Also Fail 07:54  |  crlman 06/07/09
      25.   Let`s just hope 08:40  |  John 06/07/09
      26.   Israel will NOT attack Iran 08:46  |  MiddleStanian 06/07/09
      27.   no surpise here! israel`s "plan b" has ALWAYS been its "plan a" 09:20  |  eric 06/07/09
      28.   plan B should be no more nuclear in world! 09:37  |  talma 06/07/09
      29.   The U.S. cannot dictate to another sovereign nation... 09:56  |  Fred 06/07/09
      30.   Its the good cop bad cop routine.Iran can negotiate 10:43  |  PETER SM 06/07/09
      31.   #9 confronting extremism with "occasional hollow words"? 11:03  |  eric 06/07/09
      32.   War is brought on by those who threaten it 11:04  |  Samuel Prime 06/07/09
      33.   War is brought on by those who threaten it 11:04  |  Samuel Prime 06/07/09
      34.   #30 Peter SM 11:07  |  Chris Linthwaite 06/07/09
      35.   Plan B 11:25  |  geraldd 06/07/09
      36.   For Obama, nothing is worse than another ME war 11:27  |  Natallie Durson 06/07/09
      37.   LINTWAITE When it suits you its the largest army in the ME 11:31  |  PETER SM 06/07/09
      38.   Deep divisions in Iranian Clergy. 11:54  |  Stephen. 06/07/09
      39.   #37 Peter SM 11:58  |  Chris Linthwaite 06/07/09
      40.   #36 Natallie 12:04  |  Chris Linthwaite 06/07/09
      41.   Same goes for Iran as a sovereign nation 12:27  |  Sarah G 06/07/09
      42.   10 12:32  |  zionist forever 06/07/09
      43.   no body can predict the consequences of attacking Iran 12:42  |  Herbert 06/07/09
      44.   Here is Plan B. 13:10  |  Solow 06/07/09
      45.   Israel has been asking for "paralyzing sanctions, etc." 15:00  |  Ivar 06/07/09
      46.   Plan B to deal with Israel 15:55  |  Pablo Luis 06/07/09
      47.   Here`s A Plan 16:09  |  Williams 06/07/09
      48.   Israel`s need for a plan-B is not because of the US, but the lack 16:14  |  Jacob Blues 06/07/09
      49.   Give Peace a Change....haha 16:47  |  Paul 06/07/09
      50.   Natallie Durson 16:51  |  Paul 06/07/09
      51.   Never give-up on peace... 17:51  |  Issa Dadoush 06/07/09
      52.   Is Iran a real `Threat` ? 18:09  |  Dave Schwep 06/07/09
      53.   Obama must be getting weary of Israel,s inability 18:17  |  Labhras 06/07/09
      54.   The talks are likely to fail, just be ready 18:27  |  JP 06/07/09
      55.   Plan B - geraldd from Brussels 20:50  |  Observer 06/07/09
      56.   We Don`t Need Another War 03:17  |  Matthew Lifford 07/07/09
      57.   14 Million Responses 03:23  |  J. D. Spammer 07/07/09
      58.   The Plan 03:29  |  Joe Tuttle 07/07/09
      59.   no one dares attack IRAN 06:26  |  mohamad 07/07/09
      60.   The U.S. cannot dictate to another sovereign nation... 16:22  |  Martin 07/07/09
      61.   US irrelevance 21:46  |  Observer 07/07/09
      62.   talma 21:49  |  Observer 07/07/09
      63.   #59 Muhammad 22:06  |  Observer 07/07/09
      64.   Bottom Line: Israel Wants USA to Attack 20:35  |  Gary 08/07/09
      65.   Pray for peace 18:15  |  Issa 10/07/09
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