Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley (L) testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on 29 March, 2023. AP File
New Delhi: Days after Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley told lawmakers that the US would never allow Iran to have a “fielded” nuclear weapon, Israel reportedly lodged protests and sought “clarifications” from the White House, fearing that his language indicated a shift in US policy.
According to an Axios report, the outlet said the officials believed his comments could mean the US “would tolerate Tehran having a nuclear weapons program” so long as no bombs were “fielded” on a missile or other delivery system.
Israeli officials raised the alarm after General Milley gave a congressional testimony last week and stated that Washington “remains committed as a matter of policy that Iran will not have a fielded nuclear weapon”.
The United States and allies fear that nuclear-armed Iran would ignite an arms race in the Middle East and would destabilise the region. To its partners in the region, such as Israel, the United States has assured that it would not Iran to develop a nuclear bomb.
However, words used in Milley’s testimony have led to debate whether the President Joe Biden’s administration still sticks to that policy of not allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
“From the time of a national decision, Iran could produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon in approximately 10-15 days and it would only take several months to produce an actual nuclear weapon. The United States remains committed, as a matter of policy, that Iran will not have a fielded nuclear weapon. The United States military has developed multiple options for our national leadership to consider, if or when Iran decides to develop a nuclear weapon,” Milley had said.
According to several unnamed sources, the concerns came from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Defense, the Foreign Ministry, and the Mossad intelligence service, with Milley’s testimony “alarming Israeli defence and intelligence officials to the point of protest.”
Concerns over Iranian nuclear programme
The United States and allies are concerned that the Iranian nuclear programme would destabilise the Middle East and ignite a nuclear weapons race.
There are also concerns over the increased Iranian support to terrorists with the might of nuclear weapons behind it.
The United States maintains that Iran is a leading state-sponsor of terrorism. Independent reporting also maintains that Iran is the patron of some of the most active terrorist organisations in the region, ranging from the Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas to Hezbollah.
Iran denies developing nuclear weapons
Tehran has repeatedly stated that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons, with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issuing religious edicts condemning the atomic bomb and other weapons of mass destruction.
Nonetheless, US officials and their Israeli counterparts have continued to accuse the Islamic Republic of pursuing a nuclear arsenal.
Israeli officials pushed the top general to “clarify his remarks or retract them,” and at another House hearing just days later, Milley offered a similar statement about Iran, but without the word “fielded.”
“We asked the Biden administration to fix it and they did,” a senior Israeli official told Axios.
However, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs, Joseph Holstead, later said US policy toward Iran “remains the same,” adding that Milley’s prior language did not indicate any change and was simply “military vernacular.”
With inputs from agencies
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.