Bolton: 'Near zero' chance Pres. Bush will strike Iran - Haaretz

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Thu., January 24, 2008 Shvat 17, 5768

Israel Time: 02:47 (EST+7)

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Bolton: 'Near zero' chance Pres. Bush will strike Iran

By Haaretz Correspondents and Haaretz Staff , By Barak Ravid and Yuval Azoulay

Former U.S. ambassador to the UN John Bolton said yesterday that there is almost no chance that U.S. President George W. Bush will approve a military strike on Iran before he leaves office next January.

"It's close to zero percent chance that the Bush administration will authorize military action against Iran before leaving office," he told the Herzliya Conference.

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Bolton also said that Israel's "stunningly successful" military strike on Syria last September could constitute a precedent for a similar attack on Iran in the future. He insisted that Syria's nuclear efforts should be taken with the utmost seriousness, as North Korean expertise and Iranian willingness to fund these projects are more available than ever.

The former envoy said the recent American intelligence assessment, according to which Iran halted its nuclear program in 2003, was a politically motivated report intended to restrict the Bush administration's room to maneuver.

"It seems that for the next few years the United States will be a bystander to the process," Bolton said.

Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz told the conference that the probability of a military strike against Iran has increased given "the deterioration of efforts to stop Iran diplomatically.

"The diplomatic timetable is running short and thus the next two years are critical for stopping Iran through diplomatic means," Mofaz, who also served as defense minister as well as chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, said.

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