Nuclear standoff: Obama assures Israel lobby to use force, if necessary

Calls for more time to allow international sanctions to work.

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama criticised ‘loose talk of war’ on Sunday as he pleaded for patience in ending the nuclear stand-off with Iran, arguing that sustained international pressure would force Tehran to the negotiating table.

On the eve of White House talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Obama sought to reassure a powerful pro-Israel lobby by vowing to use force if necessary.

Speaking to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Washington alongside Israeli President Shimon Peres, he said sanctions were working and cautioned against the saber-rattling of recent months.

“Because of our efforts, Iran is under greater pressure than ever before,” he told thousands of delegates at the AIPAC annual policy forum. “Iran is isolated, its leadership divided and under pressure,” he said.

The uprisings in Arab countries have exposed the Iranian regime’s ‘hypocrisy’ and left its ally Syria ‘crumbling,’ the president added. “I firmly believe that an opportunity remains for diplomacy ” Obama said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2012.