WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama said Tuesday that the United States had "absolutely not" given Israel the
green light to attack Iran in
order to to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapon.
Obama's statement was made during an interview with CNN.
Earlier Tuesday, Obama said that if Iran's nuclear ambitions were curbed, the US would have no need to deploy anti missile systems in Europe.
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| Biden: Israel has 'sovereign right' to attack Iran / Yitzhak Benhorin |
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In interview with ABC, VP Biden suggests Washington won't stand in Israel's way should it choose to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, but White House says 'allies know Obama believes now is the time to explore diplomatic options' |
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Obama's statement followed one by US Vice President Joe Biden, who said that Israel was free to decide on a strike. Biden was asked about the matter three times by ABC Television, and replied that "(Israel is) entitled to do that. Any sovereign nation is entitled to do that. But there is no pressure from any nation that's going to alter our behavior as to how to proceed. "
However, the vice president did add that "what we believe (pursuing diplomatic options regarding Iran) is in the national interest of the United States, which we, coincidentally, believe is also in the interest of Israel and the whole world. And so there are separate issues.
Following Biden's statement, the White House was forced to issue a clarification to the contrary. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly added that while no military action was given the go-ahead, Washington has no intention of "dictating Israel's actions."
The Washington Times quoted anonymous Israeli sources Tuesday, as saying that
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did
not ask for the US permission on an Iranian strike, fearing he would meet a refusal.
AFP contributed to this report
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