The Washington Times

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Ambassador is right — strike Iran first

In a rare moment of candor on the subject of a pre-emptive strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United States Yousef al-Otaiba indicated he would prefer that to the threat of a Middle East nuclear armament race (“U.A.E. diplomat mulls hit on Iran’s nukes,” Web, News, Tuesday).

Mr. al-Otaiba believes the decision to strike Iran is a cost-benefit decision, meaning the long-term threat of a nuclear-armed Iran is worse than the short-term consequences of the regional fallout from such an attack.

This makes good sense. The ambassador defies the normal penchant of diplomats to bow down to political correctness and makes the blunt and realistic assessment that a strike against Iran’s nuclear assets would be best for the Middle East. When the facts are examined, the outcome for Israel most likely would be either a blunted Iranian nuclear threat based on a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear assets or a nuclear threat of “mutually assured destruction” between it and Iran, plus a Middle East nuclear arms race. As the ambassador states, it’s a cost-benefit decision.

BOB JACK

North Las Vegas, Nev.

© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Comments
blog comments powered by Disqus
You Might Also Like
  • The Washington Times

    GOODLATTE: No command and control for the cows

  • Illustration by Linas Garsys for The Washington Times

    EDITORIAL: The high price of Obamacare

  • ** FILE ** A police officer leads two women and a child from Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on the day of the mass killings. (Newtown Bee via Associated Press)

    MILLER: Bushmaster CEO breaks silence on Newtown school shooting -EXCLUSIVE

  • Get Breaking Alerts