Olmert in Moscow / Sowing the seeds of a preemptive strike - Haaretz - Israel News

Olmert in Moscow / Sowing the seeds of a preemptive strike - Haaretz - Israel News: "This is the first time that an Israeli prime minister has talked openly about the fact that it is necessary to create conditions that 'cause Iran to be afraid that something they do not want to happen to them will happen to them.' This is the most far-reaching threat uttered by an Israeli leader in an effort to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. No less important, these statements were made on Russian soil.

For nearly a decade, Israel viewed Russia as the main source from which Iran acquired nuclear technology, know-how and materials for its nuclear program - through which it aspired to develop nuclear weapons. Israel, along with the United States, tried to convince Moscow to prevent the trickle of nuclear technology to Iran. Former U.S. vice president Al Gore headed these efforts, and set up a coordination mechanism with then-Russian prime minister Victor Chernomyrdin. The heads of the Mossad and Israel's National Security Agency and Atomic Energy Committee have traveled abroad since 1995 to convince their counterparts that Russian support for Iran's nuclear efforts was problematic. " Read complete post here.