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A former White House adviser ruled out the prospect that Washington would launch a strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. David Wurmser, a senior adviser to then-Vice President Richard Cheney, said he did not know of any serious debate in the U.S. government over the use of force against Teheran.
“Sadly, our allies are on their own,” Wurmser said.
In an article published in Israel’s largest circulation newspaper, Israel Today, Wurmser, regarded as strongly pro-Israel, said opposition to any attack on Iran was not limited to President Barack Obama. Wurmser said even Obama’s Republican Party challenger, Mitt Romney, was not expected to order military measures against Teheran despite its drive toward nuclear weapons.
“There is nobody of influence within the establishment or bureaucracy in Washington, let alone abroad, seriously arguing for pre-emptive action, nor are there any factors in the next half year — or even longer — that will change that,” Wurmser said on Aug. 24.
Wurmser, a specialist on the Middle East, recalled discussions in the administration of then-President George Bush on the Iranian nuclear threat.
He said Bush, unlike his decision to invade Iraq in 2003, had been determined to coordinate steps against Iran with the European Union.
“I have read with great curiosity statements by a parade of Israeli experts and former officials, all of whom assert with considerable confidence that at the end of the day, the United States is committed to denying Iran a nuclear capability, and that when the moment of truth arrives, Washington will act — unilaterally if necessary,” Wurmser wrote. “I fear these Israeli officials are misguided.”
