Gates Gives Iran Two Months

**Chris** · July-27th-2009, 07:04 PM

Gates Gives Iran Two Months - News Briefs - Israel National News

Gates Gives Iran Two Months
Reported: 11:49 AM - Jul/27/09

(IsraelNN.com) US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that President Barack Obama was expecting a response from Iran on its nuclear program by September. “The president is certainly anticipating or hoping for some kind of a response this fall, perhaps by the time of the UN General Assembly in September,” he said at a press conference with Defense Minsiter Ehud Barak.

Barak continued to insist that Israel had the right to respond to Iran’s program, which Israel says is creating nuclear weapons. “Israel remains in its basic position that no options should be removed from the table, despite the fact that at this stage a priority should be given still to diplomacy and sanctions,” he said.

**open door** · July-27th-2009, 10:45 PM

Two months, and then what? More sanctions?

**Sean Osborne** · July-28th-2009, 06:55 AM

The two months SECDEF Gates is "giving" - the termination of which occurs late September 2009 - is precisely consistent with the termination of the six month period of time that Obama asked Israel for so he could work his Iranian "engagement" plan, and the six month period of time in which Netanyahu agreed no unilateral Israel strike would occur. Those six months were announced in March by both leaders and confirmed in their face-to-face meeting in mid-May.

Then came the successful launch of the Sejjil nuclear weapon delivery missile, Ahmadi-Nejad's faux election victory, the announcement of yet a further increase in the number of Iran's operating nuclear enrichment centrifuges, and finally the announcement of the start up of the Bushehr reactor this fall. All of these factors are at work in Israel's decision on when the red-line will have been crossed and a preemptive strike on Iran becomes an existential mandate for Israel.

It's also notable that Israeli intelligence made clear from the get-go that the six month "window" was too much time, that an Israeli preemptive strike should occur sooner rather than later.

**SisterNChrist** · July-28th-2009, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by open door

Two months, and then what? More sanctions?

And so on 'n' on it goes...

**open door** · July-28th-2009, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by Sean Osborne

The two months SECDEF Gates is "giving" - the termination of which occurs late September 2009 - is precisely consistent with the termination of the six month period of time that Obama asked Israel for so he could work his Iranian "engagement" plan, and the six month period of time in which Netanyahu agreed no unilateral Israel strike would occur. Those six months were announced in March by both leaders and confirmed in their face-to-face meeting in mid-May.

Then came the successful launch of the Sejjil nuclear weapon delivery missile, Ahmadi-Nejad's faux election victory, the announcement of yet a further increase in the number of Iran's operating nuclear enrichment centrifuges, and finally the announcement of the start up of the Bushehr reactor this fall. All of these factors are at work in Israel's decision on when the red-line will have been crossed and a preemptive strike on Iran becomes an existential mandate for Israel.

It's also notable that Israeli intelligence made clear from the get-go that the six month "window" was too much time, that an Israeli preemptive strike should occur sooner rather than later.

Sean, as I note from your post, (l) Bibi agreed to the 6 month delay, in March; (2) That such decision was made "from the get-go" that Israeli intelligence said that was too much time. Now, realizing what has occured since March, as you outlined, WILL Bibi go against his agreement to wait the full 6 months, or go ahead with the strike before the lapse? I note also in Chris' post that the UN just so happens to meet about the time of the 6 month expiration. Lord I pray that Bibi won't listen to anything they might have to say about it.