U.S. lawmaker: Obama should deal with Iran nukes, not criticize Israel

Last update - 22:13 21/04/2010

By Natasha Mozgavaya, Haaretz Correspondent

A prominent Republican member of Congress on Wednesday accused U.S. President Barack Obama of unfairly criticizing Israel for not signing on to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, rather than taking the time to deal with Iran's contentious nuclear program.

"The nuclear dam is giving way before our eyes in many aspects," said Republican representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen during a hearing at the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"From North Korea's increasing arsenal to the continuing attempts by Al-Qaida and other extremist groups to secure a radiological bomb or a dirty nuke, the greatest threat that we face, however, is Iran's acquisition of a nuclear weapons capability.

"Iran's leaders are getting away with this stunning assault on U.S. and global security while we and our allies appear to be doing nothing but huffing and puffing. And the world is watching.

Ros-Lehtinen lashed out at Obama for neglecting to deal with the "urgency" of Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons: "After months of generous offers and repeated rejections with one deadline after another passing without action, nothing of substance has been accomplished and Iran continues to relentlessly move forward.

"The president did find time to go after our ally, Israel, lecturing it on the need to sign the nuclear non proliferation treaty, a demand which has been at the centerpiece of the long-standing strategy by Arab states to distract attention from their own nuclear plans.

"No mention was made, however, of Israel's unwavering stand against Iran, nor of Israel's support of the convention on the physical protection of nuclear materials, the international convention of the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism, the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540, the Global Initiative To Combat Nuclear Terrorism, the U.S.-led megaport initiative, as well as Israel's financial and technical assistance to and its active participation in the Illicit Trafficking Database reporting system of the International Atomic Energy Agency," she said.

Meanwhile, a top U.S. defense department official said earlier Wednesday that the U.S. has ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear program any time soon, hoping instead negotiations and United Nations sanctions will prevent the Middle East nation from developing nuclear weapons.

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