U.S. and Israel differ on Iran plan

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The United States is trying to get Israel to hold off on a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, a U.S. official said.

The New York Times said U.S. officials want Israel to wait and allow time for sanctions and covert operations to deter Iran's nuclear plans while Israeli officials are trying to make a case that time is running out.

President Obama discussed the issue last month in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamnin Netanyahu and senior officials said the president came away with the feeling that Netanyahu was willing to allow time for the sanctions to work, the newspaper said Thursday.

Israel says it is concerned about Iran's plan to conduct uranium enrichment in an underground facility near Qum that would be buried so deeply, it would be impossible to bomb. Once that happens, the Israelis say, Iran could produce bomb-grade fuel without fear the facility would be destroyed.

The view of the United States, a second senior official told the Times, is there are many other options to slow Iran's plans to build a nuclear weapon.

The official said Iran's currency has plunged and oil is piling up in storage tanks because of economic sanctions. There is also growing evidence of political discord in Iran, the newspaper said.