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Israeli officials criticize U.S. refusal to draw "red lines" on Iran

11 September 2012 02:26 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Israeli top officials on Monday lashed out at the United States’ decision not to set "red lines" regarding the Iranian nuclear program, a stance they deem will give Iran more time to develop a nuclear bomb, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The officials commented on U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s statements on Iran, in which Clinton said the United States does not want to set "deadlines" to Iran’s nuclear program, The Haaretz daily reported.

"Not only do these comments fail to deter Iran, they only serve to calm them," a top official told the newspaper.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been actively trying to persuade the United States to draw red lines to deter Iran from pursuing its nuclear ambitions.

On Sunday, Netanyahu said that Israel and the United States were engaged in discussions regarding these so-called red lines.

"It is important to realize that Iran will not stop unless it sees clear determination by the democratic countries of the world and a clear red line," Netanyahu said in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

"I don’t think that they see a clear red line, and I think the sooner we establish one, the greater the chances that there won’t be a need for other types of action," he said.

However, Clinton said the United States believes that the best option so far is to continue negotiating with Iran.

"We’re watching very carefully about what they do, because it’s always been more about their actions than their words," Clinton said.