Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said economic sanctions against Iran are working and that Tehran still appears interested in finding a diplomatic solution, in what amounts to a message of caution to Israel about taking unilateral military action, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The message from Mr. Panetta, before a visit to Israel staring Tuesday for talks on Iran, appears aimed at convincing skeptical Israeli leaders to give negotiations more time.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called existing Iran sanctions ineffective and has urged the U.S. to couple economic pressure with "a strong and credible military threat."
The Obama administration is concerned that Israel will abandon the diplomatic track, led by the U.S. and its allies, and take military action. Mr. Panetta says he doesn't believe Israel yet has made a decision on whether to strike Iran.
Speaking to reporters in Tunis, Mr. Panetta said the U.S. won't "tolerate" a nuclear-armed Iran and is prepared to "exercise all options" to ensure that doesn't happen. President Barack Obama has used similar language.
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, in a visit this week to Israel, sought to project a more forceful stance, saying he would be supportive of an Israeli strike on Iran. The Obama administration has urged against an Israeli strike, arguing international diplomacy and pressure need a chance to work.
Mr. Romney stirred more hard feelings on his foreign tour Monday when he told Jewish donors their culture was responsible for Israel's economic success in contrast with neighboring Palestinians, the Associated Press reported.
Palestinians voiced outrage, noting Romney was ignoring Israel's history of occupation of Palestinian lands and its stringent controls over access to the West Bank and movement of residents in the territory, according to the AP
In Tunis, Mr. Panetta said the sanctions on Iran were already having a "serious impact" and would soon be tightened further by the international community.
But Mr. Panetta acknowledged that "the results of that (the sanctions) may not be obvious at the moment."
In contrast to Israeli officials who believe Iran is using the negotiations to play for time, Mr. Panetta said: "The fact is that they've expressed a willingness to try to negotiate...and they continue to seem interested in trying to find a diplomatic solution."
"I think what we all need to do is to continue the pressure on Iran economically and diplomatically, to take the right steps here to negotiate," Mr. Panetta said.
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