By Ryan Jones
Israel Today
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday signaled he had waited long enough for the Obama Administration to get serious about stopping Iran's drive for nuclear arms, and drew his own red line, literally.
Netanyahu Draws 'Red Line' for Iran
Using a cartoonish chart depicting a bomb with lit fuse, Netanyahu dedicated his address before the UN General Assembly to trying to educate those who have had trouble understanding just how dangerously close the mullahs who rule the Islamic Republic are to attaining an atomic bomb.
Netanyahu noted that it had taken Iran's regime well over a decade to do 70 percent of the work needed to test a nuclear warhead. During all that time, the international community tried in vain to diplomatically convince Tehran to halt its nuclear program.
Now, Netanyahu cautioned, Iran is well into the second phase of the process, and is stockpiling and enriching the uranium needed to construct a weapon. This phase, said the Israeli leader ominously, will be much shorter. In other words, the time for diplomacy has passed, and the time for ultimatums has come.
Netanyahu has been trying for months to get US President Barack Obama to set clear red lines that if crossed would risk American military action against Iran. Netanyahu is certain that such a firm stand would finally have the desired influence on the mullahs. But Obama has repeatedly rebuffed the Israelis, and so Netanyahu publicly drew his own thick red line on the bomb diagram, insisting that if Iran is not stopped before the coming spring, it will be too late.
Watch Netanyahu's Address:
- ‘Necessary preparations’ made for use of force if needed against Iran, US ambassador says • Times of Israel
- Leading News Agencies Comparing Netanyahu to Hitler? • Arutz Sheva
- 'Red line' measured in kilos • Ynet News
- White House irked by Netanyahu’s “red line” speech, reverts to Iran diplomacy • DEBKAfile
- Iran says it's more determined following 'red line' speech • Jerusalem Post