U.S. envoy plays down possible Iran attack

By · July 3, 2008

The U.S. ambassador to Israel played down speculation that an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities could be imminent.

Richard Jones told reporters Thursday that President Bush “has made clear that all options remain on the table, and we all understand why that has to be the case. But at the same time, I think a lot of people believe that the use of military force would be the last option and there are plenty of other options that need to be exercised beforehand. And I think we are in the process of exercising those options.

“We are working very closely with Israel on our diplomatic efforts,” he said.

A large-scale Israeli Air Force drill last month stirred international speculation that Jerusalem was preparing to order an attack designed to deprive Iran of the capability to produce nuclear weapons.

But Israel, like the United States, has said diplomatic pressure on Tehran remains the best option, with force as a last resort only.