Israeli President Shimon Peres said Sunday he opposes a military strike on Iran and prefers the use of international economic sanctions to persuade Tehran to halt its nuclear enrichment program.
"A military operation is not necessary. I do not think the Americans think in these terms because they have many other cards to play," Peres told Israeli public radio after a meeting with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in Italy. "If the Americans manage to form a coalition to unify their positions with those of Europeans, they have sufficient means to exert pressure on the Iranians," Peres added.
Peres had met Cheney on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti forum on Italy's Lake Como, an international gathering of leaders and experts focused mostly on economic issues.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said last month after a meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Israel would not rule out any options to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. |