Barak hints world might not take action against Iran

Israel must be ready to defend its own interests against a nuclear-armed Iran because there is no guarantee world powers will, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told The Washington Post, in a lengthy interview with Lally Weymouth published Wednesday.

Discussing the ongoing atrocities committed by Syrian President Bashar Assad, Barak said, “Even when there is no need for any further proof, however tangible and visible the nature of the crimes, it doesn’t mean the world can mobilize the will to do something about it.”

“It’s a fact of life that we should bear in mind when we look at the overall picture around us,” he said, in an apparent allusion to the rising tension surrounding Iran’s illicit nuclear program.

With international inaction regarding Syria in mind, Barak reiterated that Israel will keep all “options on the table” and that “we understand that we have to be able to protect ourselves against any foreseeable threat.”

He added that the world, including the rest of the Middle East, has a clear impetus to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, which would set off a regional nuclear arms race and embolden Iran-sponsored terror activities around the world.

Barak praised US-Israeli cooperation on security issues, saying that the current administration “is doing more than the past to back the security of Israel.”