Kerry: US Won’t Hesitate to Attack Iran

Netanyahu Dismisses Kerry Comments, Insists Israel Will Not Rely on Anyone

Speaking today in Jerusalem, US Secretary of State John Kerry insisted that the Obama Administration would “not hesitate” to launch a military strike on Iran if it decides that diplomacy has failed in the ongoing dispute over Iran’s civilian nuclear program.

“No option is off the table. No option will be taken off the table,” Kerry added, saying that the international desire for diplomacy would not be allowed to “stand in the way” of attacking Iran.

The comments are the usual post-summit threats following weekend talks between the P5+1 and Iran, which ended when Iran offered a plan for a broad settlement. Israel has demanded that the US threaten to attack Iran within the next few weeks, or at most a month.

Kerry’s pro-forma threats were quickly dismissed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who insisted Israel would never trust the US or any other country to stop Iran, and would retain the option of attacking Iran themselves.

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.