JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the international community to set a "clear red line" for Iran.
Netanyahu in remarks to the Cabinet at its regular Sunday meeting did not say what the red line should be.
"The Iranians are using the talks with the major powers to gain time in order to advance their nuclear project," Netanyahu said. "I believe that the truth must be told — the international community is not setting Iran a clear red line and Iran does not see international determination to stop its nuclear project. Until Iran sees a clear red line and such determination, it will not stop the progress of its nuclear project — and Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons."
On Monday, The New York Times reported that the Obama administration is moving ahead with actions designed to make Iran take negotiations over its nuclear capabilities more seriously while convincing Israel to hold off on a unilateral strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The actions include naval exercises and new anti-missile systems in the Persian Gulf, and a more forceful clamping down on Iranian oil revenue, as well as potentially having President Obama make new declarations about what might bring about American military action, the newspaper reported.
The question of how explicit Mr. Obama’s warnings to Iran should be is still a subject of internal debate closely tied to election-year politics, the Times reported. It explained that some Obama advisers believe Israel needs "a stronger public assurance that he is willing to take military action" before Iran has an operational nuclear weapon. Other senior advisers believe that "Israel is trying to corner Mr. Obama into a military commitment that he does not yet need to make," according to the report.
The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, in its quarterly report last week said that Iran has more than doubled the number of centrifuges installed in its underground uranium enrichment plant at Fordow, which is located far underground and believed to be impenetrable to Israeli attack.
