The Bush administration is at present opposed to any Israeli military attack against Iranian nuclear sites, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday. "The Americans are not ready to allow us to attack Iran," Barak told Israel's army radio. "Our position is that no option is to be taken off the table but in the meantime we have to make diplomatic progress."
Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that Washington has recently rejected an Israeli request for military equipment that American officials said indicated Israel was at the "advanced stages" of preparing a strike. The Americans called on Israel not to attack nuclear facilities in Iran, warning that it would undermine US interests, the paper said.
"The only thing to do is to continue to act in the field of intelligence and to strengthen economic sanctions against the government of (President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad," Barak said.
