U.S. plays down worries about Israeli attack on Iran

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S., Iranian and Western diplomats played down worries about a looming Israeli military attack on Iran's nuclear facilities on Tuesday after reports of heightened tensions rattled nerves and helped drive oil prices near record highs.



"The military option is the last thing that we need to do and it will not be used easily," said a Western diplomat in Tel Aviv. "I don't think there will be an attack in the next six months."



Concern about a confrontation flared again on Tuesday when ABC News reported that an unnamed senior U.S. defense official said there was an increasing likelihood that Israel would attack Iran over its nuclear program, which could prompt Tehran to retaliate against both Israel and the United States.



U.S. officials sharply dismissed the ABC News report.



"I have no information that would substantiate that," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said.



"The official State Department reaction to that is one, laughter, and saying 'Coward, get out there and talk about in on the record if you've actually got something to say,'" he said, referring to the unnamed official cited in the report.



"You know, I need to find this guy because, apparently, he's an expert on the Israeli military, an expert on Iran and an expert on nuclear issues at the same time. Let's get him a Nobel Prize," he said, Reuters reports.