Israel Not Given Okay to Attack Iran
Prison Planet

Israel's defense minister says the regime has not received approval from the US to carry out a strike against Iran's nuclear sites.

"The Americans are not ready to allow us to attack Iran," Ehud Barak told army radio on Wednesday.

"Our position is that no option is to be taken off the table but in the meantime we have to make diplomatic progress," he added.

Israel, which is widely believed to have over 200 ready-to-use atomic warheads, says Iran's nuclear program is a main strategic threat, although the UN nuclear watchdog has confirmed that Tehran's uranium enrichment activities are within the limits of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Barak's comments follow reports about an armada of US naval battle groups heading toward the Persian Gulf with the aim of reinforcing US strike forces in the region.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt, the USS Ronald Reagan, and the USS Iwo Jima are sailing toward the Persian Gulf accompanied by the British Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and the French nuclear hunter-killer submarine Ametlyste.

The deployment comes almost a week after Operation Brimstone, which was conducted by the US, British and French naval forces in the Atlantic Ocean. Apparently, the 12 warships taking part in the war games were preparing for a possible confrontation with Iran.


Iran has reacted to threats of a military strike by enhancing its defense capabilities, conducting several maneuvers, and testing new homemade weaponry.

Tehran has also pledged to give the 'maximum response' to any threat against the country's security.

On Tuesday, Iran's Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar warned that Tehran's response to a surprise enemy attack would turn into a greater surprise for the aggressor.