US defence secretary Robert Gates moved to reassure Israel today that Washington's bid to talk Iran into giving up sensitive nuclear work was worth pursuing, despite the reticence so far from Tehran.
President Barack Obama has made fresh engagement with Iran a centrepiece of his foreign policy. Israel, which sees the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran as a mortal threat, has hinted that it could resort to preemptive strikes if it deems diplomacy a dead end.
During a visit to Israel, Mr Gates affirmed Mr Obama's hope for an Iranian response to the US overtures in time for the United Nations General Assembly in late September.
"I think, based on the information that's available to us, that the timetable that the president has laid out still seems to be viable and does not significantly increase the risks to anybody," Mr Gates told reporters at a press conference with his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak.
Iran says its uranium enrichment, which has bomb-making potential, is for energy needs and has rejected UAS-led calls to curb the programme. That, along with fiercely anti-Israel rhetoric from Tehran, has stirred fear of a regional war.
There is also a cost in terms of Mr Obama's efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, as Israel has demanded that the perceived threat from the Iranians be neutralised first.
Speaking after his meeting with Mr Gates, Mr Barak backed the US diplomatic strategy on Iran but called for a tight schedule with readiness to impose tough UN Security Council sanctions.
"If there is an engagement, we believe it should be short in time, well-defined in objectives, followed by sanctions," Mr Barak said.
He also kept open the possibility that Israel could attack the Iranians pre-emptively. "We clearly believe that no option should be removed from the table. This is our policy. We mean it. We recommend to others to take the same position but we cannot dictate it to anyone," Mr Barak said. "We are not blind to the fact that our operations or activity also affect neighbours and others, and we take this into account. But ultimately our obligation is to Israel's national security interest."
Mr Gates' visit coincides with a trip to the region by the US Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, who is trying to reach a deal with Israel on a settlement freeze on land Palestinians want for a state.
Mr Obama's demand, in accordance with a 2003 US-backed peace "road map", to cease Jewish settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem has met stiff resistance from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr Mitchell held talks in Israel yesterday and is due to continue his discussions with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Monday after a brief visit to Egypt.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has said he would not resume peace talks with Israel, suspended for the past six months, until it halted all settlement activity in accordance with a 2003 US-backed peace "road map".
Mr Obama has given Iran until late September to accept an unconditional offer of talks aimed at curbing its nuclear ambitions, and until the end of the year to show progress on the issue. He has also warned Tehran that the United States would not abide endless talks that yield no result on the issue.
A senior US defence official who briefed reporters ahead of Mr Gates' trip to Israel said the United States was not even close to considering a military strike option against Iran.
On Wednesday, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said the United States might cope with a nuclear Iran by buttressing its allies and spreading an unspecified "defence umbrella" over the region.