Nevertheless, he condemned some of Obama’s remarks about “bringing the Iranian people to their knees through sanctions. This part of his comments show that the illusion continues.”
Obama is interested in avoiding tensions in Iran, which are mounting, regarding Iran’s possible acquisition of nuclear capabilities; he said that it is “deeply in everybody’s interest — the United States, Israel and the world’s — to see if this can be resolved in a peaceful fashion.”
Such comments qualify his earlier statement that the United States “will always have Israel’s back.”
This may be a decisive issue in the upcoming election. Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney opposes Obama’s mild stance, favoring an aggressive condemnation of Iran.
Instead, Obama has advised Israeli not to strike Iran as “At at time when there is not a lot of sympathy for Iran, and its only real ally (Syria) is on the ropes, do we want a distraction in which suddenly Iran can portray itself as a victim.”
Despite the mixed remarks, Iran’s supreme leader called some of Obama’s comments a “window of opportunity.”