WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Tuesday criticized reported comments by a senior defence official who said there was an increasing likelihood Israel would attack Iran over its nuclear program.
The unidentified U.S. defence official told ABC News it wasincreasingly likely Israel would attack Iran, promptingretaliation against both Israel and the United States.
"I have no information that would substantiate that, and Ithink it's rather foolish of people who often have no clue whatthey're talking about to assert things and not even have thecourtesy to do so on the basis of their name," State Departmentspokesman Tom Casey said.
The defence official told ABC News one red line that couldtrigger an Israeli offensive would be when Iran's nuclearfacility had produced enough enriched uranium to create anatomic weapon. That could happen in 2009 or later this year,ABC News reported, citing U.S. and Israeli intelligenceassessments.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said "I don't comment forIsrael" when asked about the ABC News report.
"We are going to address the concerns that we have withIran diplomatically and with international organizations thatcan bring some pressure to bear on this issue," he said. "Thatis the focus of the U.S. effort."
Asked if he had noticed increasing concern within thePentagon in recent weeks about the possibility of an Israelistrike, Whitman told reporters: "You guys have all worked herelong enough, you can find somebody with just about any opinionyou want in this building."
In Tel Aviv, a Western diplomat said there was unlikely tobe any Israeli or U.S. attack on Iran in the next six months"because the military option is the last thing that we need todo and it will not be used easily."
He also said he expected France, which took over thepresidency of the European Union on Tuesday, to be tougher onTehran because President Nicolas Sarkozy has a strong positionagainst Iran.
The diplomat said there was no consensus in Israel infavour of an attack and that the United States was unlikely totake action because it estimated Iran's nuclear program wouldnot reach a point of no return for about two years.
"I don't think there will be an attack in the next sixmonths," the diplomat said.
(Editing by Vicki Allen)
