Biden says Israel can set own course on Iran nuclear threat

“If the Iranians respond to the offer of engagement, we will engage,’’ Biden said.

It was after meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel at the White House on May 18 that President Obama said it should be clear by year’s end whether Iran is open to direct negotiations. Obama told the Associated Press last Thursday that persuading Iran to forgo nuclear weapons has been made more difficult by the crackdown after the disputed reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Biden was asked whether Netanyahu was using the right approach by indicating that Israel would take matters into its own hands if Iran did not show a willingness to negotiate by the end of the year.

“Look, Israel can determine for itself - it’s a sovereign nation - what’s in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else,’’ Biden replied. He added that this was the case, “whether we agree or not’’ with the Israeli view.

Biden was then asked more pointedly whether the United States would stand in the way if the Israelis, viewing the prospect of an Iranian nuclear bomb as a threat to the existence of the Jewish state, decided to launch a military attack against Iranian nuclear facilities.

“Look, we cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do,’’ he said.

Pressed further on this point with a reminder that the United States could impede an Israeli strike on Iran by prohibiting it from using Iraqi air space, Biden said he was “not going to speculate’’ beyond saying that Israel, like the United States, has a right to “determine what is in its interests.’’