US Won’t Be Upset if Israel Strikes Iran, Senator Assures

Sen. Lautenberg Met With Israeli FM During Visit

In an interview with the Jerusalem Post today, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) promised that the United States would not object to an Israeli attack on Iran, saying “Israel didn’t ask us permission to drop bombs twice on Syrian nuclear facilities. I didn’t hear America scolding Israel for what it did then. Hypothetically, if Israel were able to get rid of Iran’s nuclear bomb-making capability, I’m sure that America would not send Israel a chastising e-mail message. We have to give Israel the courtesy to make its own decisions.”

Earlier this month, President Obama sent CIA Director Leon Panetta on a secret visit to Israel in an attempt to get assurances from the Netanyahu government that they wouldn’t launch an attack on Iran without informing the United States first.

Sen. Lautenberg met with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman during his visit. The hawkish Lieberman was previously Strategic Affairs Minister, a position created specifically for him which focused on plotting strategy against Iran. Since then, Lieberman has insisted Israel won’t attack Iran under any circumstances.

Though many US and Israeli officials insist Iran is working on nuclear weapons, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) insists that the nation has no capability to produce nuclear weapons and has certified that its civilian nuclear energy program is not diverting any uranium to other purposes.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.