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WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense
Minister Ehud Barak raised doubts Friday on the likelihood of an Iranian
nuclear strike on his country.

"I don't think the Iranians, even if they got the bomb, (will)
drop it in the neighborhood," he told a forum sponsored by Washington
Institute for Near East Policy.

"They fully understand what might follow. They are radical but
not totally crazy," said Barak, who is in Washington calling for
stricter U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Iran has a quite sophisticated decision-making process and
understands the reality, he added.

However, the Israeli defense chief did not specify how his
country would react to a possible Iranian nuclear strike.

He stressed the necessity of "significant and effective sanctions
within a time limit," adding that Israel will "carry a certain
skepticism and think thoroughly and in a constructive manner about what
should happen if, against our hopes and wishes, it won't work."

In Washington, Barak met top U.S. officials to coordinate
positions on the Iranian nuclear issue. He held talks with Vice
President Joseph Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense
Secretary Robert Gates, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike
Mullen.After a failed year-long engagement to persuade Tehran to abandon
its nucle... >>>