Obama has rejected Netanyahu’s appeal for his administration to identify a ‘red line’, which could lead to military action that Iran’s nuclear program cannot cross.
In explaining the reason why Netanyahu took this step, David Makovsky, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said, “The Israelis are worried that once Iran accumulates a bomb’s worth of 20 percent-enriched uranium, it’s an easy dash to get weapons-grade nuclear fuel. Before they decide they’re on their own, I think they want to know that they and Washington see eye-to-eye that this is a red line that cannot be passed.”
According to an official, the conversation that Obama and Netanyahu had resulted in the latter’s proposal to revise the new threshold to Iran’s creation of a stockpile of close-to-bomb-grade uranium, and which would result in a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Obama, on the other hand, reassured Netanyahu that it will not allow Iran to make a nuclear weapon, which was the earlier agreed upon ‘red line’ but would not agree to any specific action by Iran, whether failing to stick to a deadline on negotiations or reaching a defined threshold on nuclear material.
While some people believe that this move comes as a result of Netanyahu trying to gain political leverage due to the upcoming elections, it is reported that he is growing frustrated with the lack of concern by the United States in regard to Iran’s growing stockpile of medium-enriched uranium.
It is also apparent that Israel, through Netanyahu’s leadership, is unwilling to take any action without the assistance of the United States and is having to face opposition at home as well as to the wisdom of carrying out a military strike.