Mossad chief holds secret U.S. meetings on Iran nuclear threat, Senate panel reveals
During a broadcasted meeting of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, CIA Director, panel Chairperson indicate they met Tamir Pardo in Washington this week; U.S. official: Iran willing to attack U.S. targets if threatened.
By Barak Ravid Tags: Iran threat Iran nuclear MossadMossad chief Tamir Pardo held secret talks with top U.S. officials in recent days, cursory comments made during a public Senate hearing indicated on Tuesday.
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Tamir Pardo |
| Photo by: Moti Milrod |
The clandestine Washington visit was exposed during a hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which was participated by CIA Director David Petraeus, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Senate panel.
During the meeting, Feinstein asked Clapper whether or not Israel intended to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, with the top U.S. intelligence official answering that he would rather discuss the issue behind closed doors.
Feinstein then indicated that she had met Mossad chief Pardo earlier in the week in Washington, with Petraeus adding that he too met Pardo and cited what he called Israel's growing concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
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CIA Director David Petraeus listening at right as Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012. |
| Photo by: AP |
The CIA chief also said that it was important to note that Israel considered a nuclear Iran as an existential threat.
The entire exchange was broadcasted live on American television.
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Referring to the Iran's nuclear progress, Clapper told the Senate panel that "Iran's technical advancement, particularly in uranium enrichment, strengthens our assessment that Iran has the scientific, technical, and industrial capacity to eventually produce nuclear weapons, making the central issue its political will to do so."
"These advancements contribute to our judgment that Iran is technically capable of producing enough highly enriched uranium for a weapon, if it so chooses," Clapper added, saying that the U.S. judged "Iran would likely choose missile delivery as its preferred method of delivering a nuclear weapon."
Clapper also indicated that the 2011 Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi envoy to the U.S. indicated that the Iranian leadership "changed their calculus and are now more willing to conduct an attack in the United States in response to real or perceived U.S. actions that threaten the regime."
"We are also concerned about Iranian plotting against U.S. or allied interests overseas. Iran's willingness to sponsor future attacks in the United States or against our interests abroad probably will be shaped by Tehran's evaluation of the costs it bears for the plot against the ambassador as well as Iranian leaders' perceptions of U.S. threats against the regime," Clapper added.
News of the Mossad chief's reported Washington visit came as, also on Tuesday, President Shimon Peres said that Iran's "evil" leadership mustn't be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons capability.
Referring to Iran's contentious nuclear program, the president called the issue "ours and the world's central problem at this time, accusing Iran of attempting to achieve regional and "even global hegemony."
"Nuclear weapons mustn't be allowed to fall into the hands of Iran's Ayatollah regime," Peres said, calling Iran's religious leadership the "most morally corrupt regime in the world."
Hinting at the possibility of a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, the president reiterated the Israeli stance, according to which "no option should be ruled out in our dealing with the Iranian danger. This is an existential threat."
"It is the duty of the international community to prevent evil and nuclear [weapons] from coming together. That is the obligations of most of the leaders of the free world, one which they must meet," Peres said.
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what is so new about this? stop beating a dead horse either attack or shut the hell up about it, it's getting annoying!!
so we can take there jobs and shut down there pipelines
and blaming it on Iran. Mossad and CIA are evil scumbags
end the occupation now and denuclearize!
"By deception we will make war' Res ipsa loquitur. Not maybe, not sometime, not only when needed, but' we will make war'. And is there any evidence for this?
It appears the talks are not all that secret...especially if "leaked" to the media. Now, let's ask the real purpose of the article.
Covert maybe, but clandenstine is way over the top even for Haaretz :-)
They should frisk Pardo before he leaves. You know, just to make sure something important doesn't end up in Chinese hands again.
Iran has been holding the world hostage long enough, regional arms race may not be a bad idea given the state of the worlds ecomony. Plus maybe we can get them to blow up the dome of the rock and rebuild OUR temple. Israel has my support in any decision they make.
No kidding. How do you think Taiwan feels with a nuclear China ? Every nuclear weapon on earth is an "existential threat" to someone, and that includes the nuclear weapons that Israel possesses. Every one of them is an "existential threat" to every one of Israel's neighbors and further because of their multiple long-distance delivery systems.
Talk to legislators but not the Executive? Improper at best, and sure way to get it leaked.
Clapper is STILL in Intelligence? FFS Obumster, this guy has to read the newspaper to get his intelligence. We're doomed!
All political - psychological warfare this is! this is! :)
WH@AT IS IMPORTANT: ISRAEL IS SAVED DUE ALL TO ME
These were the leaders of the UK, Germany, India, South Korea, and Turkey. About Erdogan Obama said, he is a man of his word. You can trust him. Netanyahu's absense from the list speaks volumes, not only about Netanyahu's personality, but also his honesty. Netanyahu would love to see Obama get shown the door, but that won't happen. It will be an interestnig second half.
Netanyahu showed us that he was strong enough not to bow down, he hasn´t suffered a bit and he is getting his way in all regards, the peace prosess that dosn´t excist and the iranian issue.
Well since it's in the open it's not secret anymore, is it??
Iran's real only enemy in the region is Israel. If Iran would attack Israel it would simply give USA a (long wanted) reason for attacking Iran. In Israel, however, the argument is presented time after time: Attack Iran in a premptive war!! Make deal. ask Iran drop their nuclear weapon development - and say we (Israel) will dismantle the atom bombs we already have. Then let UN (Hans Blix) inspect both countries.
Helena....you've got it backward.....Israel's real only enemy in the region is Iran. Any move Iran makes against Israel will take Iran off the map permanently. As well it should.
the irrational iranian regime must not and will not be allowed to acquire nuclear attack capabilities
If it results in the death of one US citizen there will be hell to pay.
who would have thunk it, In fact on Ya Libnan yesterday I read that formal member of Hezbollah, who broke with the organization, also said the same thing about Iran
Why are you so surprised that such states as SA, UAE, Israel etc would latch on and hold onto the bone that is being put in front of them by the US. Its the perennial greed that has endured between arabs and jews that will keep their people oppressed, starved and morally bankrupt. Show me one one arab or jew who wouldn't sell his mother for 1 US dollar
but Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States might as well be additional states of USA... they do and say as master wants.. Who do you think put those dictators in the first place?
We, non-jews, a quite aware nowk, that it is israel, that provokes and attacks other countries. And THEN, doesn't fight the wars, but has the Americans fight it. We, non-jews, are aware of the jew/israli games. We, nonjews, NOT want another war, especially, a terrible nuclear holocaust. But jews DON"T care about anyone else but themselves. We, non-jews KNOW jews are NOT Human. jews have no Souls, are NOT native to this Planet.
Im not native to this planet.Im native to Texas.
the biggest threat facing this world.
Qader, you know this how? You were in the room when Israel "pushed" the US into going into Iraq? It's those mind controlling Jews. They just overwhelm people's thoughts into doing bad things.
this man is a threat to peace.
Same is happening with Iran now. Keep mentioning the same lies and ppl accept it after ever and when action is real, it's not shock. It becomes normal. And these are some of the deceptive methods. Lies lies lies & ppl will absorb it. Iraq had WMD. Now this lie of nuclear weapons.
Iran's nuclear holocaust ambitions are a threat to the entire planet. There is no time to waste. Iran's reaction will be nominal and if Iran insists on trying to terrorize Israelis they will pay so dearly that we may never see Iran exist as a nation again.
OK, if you think Iran is threat to Israel's existence (which it is not), then attack Iran yourself without US involvement. We are sick and tired of fighting wars for the benefit of Israel. Iran is no threat to the US and the US should not support you if you do attack. Israel will then be responsible for any and all blow back from such as attack. Also, please have your paranoia treated.
your ego..you are nothing without western support. nothing...big zero
Over 50 million people died because of that blunder.
Germany. Also, what does Palestinians or Iranians have to do anything with what happened in WWII.
He can say the most outrageous things and keep a straight face. At first you think he is serious, but then you see the little twinkle in his eye. It is all a great game to see what he can get away with saying before somebody says, "Are you kidding!?" Well, I am here to say, "Are you kidding!?".
SO WHAT??? These guys meet and talk all the time. Media, please stop sensationalizing everything!
Evil is a relative term.There is no clear line dividing good from evil. It is not black and white. Many would argue that the government of Israel is evil. It is certainly criminal. And some would also argue that Israel has used the threat of it's nuclear capacity to commit crimes in occupied territory with impugnity.
for this post. Keep it up.
"JERUSALEM — The head of Israel’s intelligence agency says that a nuclear-armed Iran does not necessarily pose an existential threat to the Jewish state, according to Israeli ambassadors. Mossad chief Tamir Pardo addressed a conclave of Israeli ambassadors in Jerusalem on Thursday, saying that Israel’s existence is not inevitably endangered by Iran acquiring an atomic weapon, even as Israel has tried to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program. 'What is the significance of the term existential?' Mr. Pardo was quoted as saying by several ambassadors. 'If you said a nuclear bomb in Iranian hands was an existential threat, that would mean that we would have to close up shop. That’s not the situation. The term is used too freely.'" - Washington Times (29 Dec. 2011)