It’s time to stand with Israel against Iran

By Col. William Peterson

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We need to convince both Israel and Iran that we will lead the attack against Iran if Iran develops a nuclear bomb.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for public support for an Israeli pre-emptive attack against Iran because he does not believe the United States will actually attack Iran if the Iranians develop such a weapon.

The new sanctions against Iran's Central Bank are seriously hindering its ability to sell its oil on the world market and are devastating Iran's economy but apparently it's not enough to stop its nuclear weapons program. The negotiations in Turkey and Iraq with Iran are only a stalling tactic by Iran and will not stop their enrichment program.

A game changer would be to sign a mutual attack pact with Israel guaranteeing that we would lead an attack with Israel against Iran's nuclear facilities should Iran actually develop a nuclear bomb. President Barack Obama and Netanyahu should announce the new mutual attack pact in a joint news conference in Tel Aviv.

The trigger to launch attacks against Iran would not require an attack by Iran against Israel but irrefutable evidence that Iran had crossed the nuclear threshold and did now possess a nuclear bomb.

To convince Iran and Israel we mean it, we need to take concrete steps such as permanently positioning a Carrier Battle Group with an Aegis class anti-missile cruiser off the Straits of Hormuz, moving into theater B-1 and Stealth fighter bombers, moving into Israel a squadron of in-flight refueling tankers, and planning of joint airstrikes including actual flight rehearsals of joint Israeli-U.S. flight formations - 100 fighter bombers or more attacking simulated Iranian targets such as the Straits of Hormuz, then returning up the Persian Gulf in clear sight of the Iranian naval ports and missile batteries on the eastern shore of the gulf.

Jordan and the Saudis would gladly give us over flight permission and the Saudis may even commit a squadron of their own F-16s to our efforts.

Col. William Peterson, of North Liberty, is retired from the U.S. Marine Corps. comments: petersonarch@aol.com