Iran war threats by Pentagon chief aim to ‘placate Israel’
Former CIA contractor Steven Kelley says the United States wants to placate Israel after Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter stated that the recent Iran nuclear conclusion would not prevent the US from using military force if necessary.
“The remarks made by the US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter regarding the nuclear agreement… seem very inflammatory and contradictory and counterproductive and against the framework and the desires and the spirit of the treaty,” he told Press TV on Monday.
“We do know that of course he is trying to be diplomatic and placating; his role right now is to placate the Israelis and to convince them and tell them what they want to hear,” he added.
Carter said earlier that one of the reasons the recent nuclear conclusion with Iran would make for a good agreement is because “it does nothing to prevent the military option.”
The top US official also maintained that the United States preserves and attempts to improve upon its military option in case Iran violates the terms of the nuclear conclusion.
Kelley, however, said this is just a “rhetoric” that the United States has adopted to convince Israel and keep it from conducting a military attack on Iran which would be “suicidal” for Tel Aviv.
“If it is successful in keeping Israel from launching some sort of a preemptive or suicidal attack on Iran,” then that would be the positive side of making such blatant threats, the analyst added.
Kelley went on to say that the United States is trying to contain Israel and to convince it that Washington is in control of the situation.
Carter made the remarks before heading to Israel as part of his Middle East tour, where he will meet with the Israeli, Saudi and Jordanian leaders.
The US annually gives Israel $3 billion in military aid as part of a 10-year pact that will end in 2018. Both sides are already in talks to extend the deal.
A New York Times report suggests that Israel is not satisfied with the current deal and has requested some $4.2 billion to $4.5 billion a year.
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