Mossad chief held talks on Iran during US visit - CIA
Israeli: The head of Israel's intelligence service paid a secret
visit to Washington last week to discuss Iran's nuclear program, the CIA
director and a top US lawmaker said Tuesday.
Mossad chief Tamir Pardo flew to the US capital to consult with his
American counterparts amid speculation over a possible Israeli strike
against Iranian nuclear facilities, CIA director David Petraeus and
Senator Dianne Feinstein revealed at a congressional hearing.
Sensitive trips by intelligence chiefs are usually kept secret but
Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence, mentioned Pardo's visit at a televised hearing as she
discussed how Israel views Iran's nuclear ambitions.
“Well, the vice chairman and I have just met this past week with the
director of Mossad, so that is a classified meeting,” Feinstein said at
the hearing.
The Central Intelligence Agency director confirmed the meeting and
said he was frequently talking to Israel's leaders, who he said viewed
Iran's nuclear program as an “existential threat.” “Like you, obviously,
I met with the head of Mossad when he was here,” Petraeus said. “That is
part of an ongoing dialogue that has also included conversations that
I've had with Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu and with (Defense)
Minister (Ehud) Barak -- the latter almost on a monthly basis in the
nearly five months that I've been in the job,” he said.
Feinstein cited her meeting with the Mossad director after asking US
intelligence chiefs about the likelihood of possible pre-emptive
military action by Israel against Iran's nuclear sites.
US National Intelligence Director James Clapper replied that
sanctions would hopefully convince Tehran to abandon its nuclear work
but said he would prefer to answer the question in a closed-door
session. Israeli officials have sent conflicting messages about
potential military strikes on Iran.
President Shimon Peres on Tuesday reaffirmed that “no option should
be excluded against the program of Iran, which seeks to acquire weapons
of mass destruction.” “The regime of the ayatollahs is the most corrupt
in the world, from a moral point of view,” Peres told a conference in
Herzliya, near Tel Aviv. AFP
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