Against the backdrop of new sanctions on Iran and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upbeat Oval Office visit in July, neither Washington nor Jerusalem can be eager to add another war to the long list of hot and warm conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Korea, and Gaza. But with the American intelligence community judging Iran to be on track to have nuclear weapons within two years, a clash with Tehran may soon be deemed unavoidable – in Jerusalem, if not in Washington.
Even if undertaken solely by Israel, a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities poses considerable risks to American interests. That’s why the White House should insist that an Israeli strike – if it happens – doesn’t merely weaken Tehran’s capabilities, but also entails a decisive breaking of the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate.
While the Obama administration hasn’t ruled out direct US military action against Iran, the United States would rather focus its energies on the overflowing plate of challenges it already faces, at home and abroad. And the American electorate has little enthusiasm for another war after almost nine years in Afghanistan and more than seven years in Iraq.
