Report: Obama 'gets the feeling' Israel to strike Iran if sanctions fail

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama confided to fellow Democrats in Congress that he "gets the feeling from [his talks]" during his trip abroad that Israel would strike Iran if the sanctions fail to halt Tehran's nuclear program, ABC News reported Wednesday.

"Nobody said this to me directly but I get the feeling from my talks that if the sanctions don't work Israel is going to strike Iran," Obama was quoted as telling Democratic congressmen Tuesday, according to ABC News.

Near the close of his visit to Israel last week, Obama met with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. A major topic of their long conversation was Obama's declared willingness to engage in direct dialogue with Tehran.

Obama reportedly told Olmert that he is interested in meeting the Iranians in order to issue clear ultimatums. "If after that, they still show no willingness to change their nuclear policy, then any action against them would be legitimate," an Israeli source quoted him as saying.

Obama said it is clear that the Iranian nuclear issue would be a top priority for him as president, but said that as part of the diplomatic effort to end Tehran's enrichment program, the Iranians must be given an opportunity to change.

The presumptive nominee also emphasized the importance of solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He said he had been impressed by the Palestinians' assessment that there has been substantial progress in the talks.

Obama also met with Noam Shalit, whose son Gilad has been held captive in the Gaza Strip for over two years, as well as with the Goldwasser and Regev families. Shalit said Obama sympathized with the family and its public struggle to bring Gilad home. He declined to comment on whether Obama would intervene personally in talks for his son's release.

Barak to UN chief: No options off the table in dealing with IranDefense Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday that tough sanctions should be used to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and added that no options should be excluded.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Barak said he told Ban that harsh economic penalties were needed against Tehran.

"We emphasized to the secretary-general our expectation that the world community will take coherent, consulted, coordinated action to put an end to the Iranian action in the area of military nuclear technologies," Barak said.

He added he told Ban, "We believe that no options should be removed in this regard from the table."

Diplomats on the UN Security Council have said the council was unlikely to take firm action anytime soon on a new round of sanctions against Iran and would likely wait until a new U.S. president is in office next year.

The council has already imposed three rounds of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

There has been increasing speculation that the United States or Israel could attack Iran's nuclear facilities, which Tehran says are intended solely for the peaceful generation of electricity, although both have said force should be a last resort.

The speculation has caused jitters on oil markets.

In addition to maintaining a steady policy on Iran, he said the Israeli government would continue with the peace process led by Olmert.

"I think that Israel will continue its basic strategies," he said. "We are trying to do whatever we can to move ahead with the peace process with the Palestinians."

On Lebanon, Barak said he reiterated to Ban his view that that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 was "not working well enough" due to violations by Hezbollah with the aid of backers Syria and Iran.

He said the smuggling of arms to Hezbollah continued and risked undermining stability in Lebanon.

Resolution 1701 was adopted on Aug. 11, 2006, ending a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah and calling for a cessation of hostilities.