Gas flares from an oil production platform, as an Iranian flag is seen in the foreground, at the Soroush oil fields in the Persian Gulf, some 1,250 km (776 miles) south of the capital Tehran in this 25 July 2005 file photo. (Photo: Reuters - Raheb Homavandi)
Israel and the US disagree on a timetable for a bombing campaign against Iran, Israel's defense minister said on Thursday, while China's official media slammed US oil sanctions on Tehran.
Ehud Barak said Iran is trying to make its nuclear program immune from attack before announcing a decision on assembling atomic bombs.
Israel "cannot afford" to wait in such a situation, Barak told Israel Radio, suggesting that the Jewish state was looking to attack Iran even without US backing.
Israel has the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, leading to criticism of hypocrisy from Western powers.
Barak said a few months would be given to allow sanctions and negotiations to work.
During this period, it would become clear "if the Iranians intend or don't intent to stop their nuclear weapons program."
In a separate interview with German television, Barak said that 2012 is a "highly important" year for a possible strike and speculated that the timetable for a bombing campaign is not a matter of weeks, but also not a matter of years.
Sanctions criticized
China's leading newspaper slammed US sanctions on Iranian oil, saying such unilateral action was not only wrong but could exacerbate the stand-off.
The United States has exempted Japan and 10 EU nations from financial sanctions because they have significantly cut purchases of Iranian oil, but Iran's top customers China and India remain at risk.
The decision means banks in the 11 countries have been given a six-month reprieve from the threat of being cut off from the US financial system under the new sanctions designed to pressure Iran.
The People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party, said in a commentary that the US move was misguided and selfish and China had every right to import oil from Iran.
"One stand-out feature of unilateralism is this: that one's own rules become the world's rules. Everyone must respect them, and if you don't, then you will be punished," the paper said, adding that previous unilateralism by the United States had led to the quagmires of Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The facts have proved again and again that unilateralism is not the way to resolve the world's problems, and that it will only complicate and exacerbate the situation, and not only not douse the flames but may even fan them."
The People's Daily commentary was published under the pen name "Zhong Sheng," meaning "Voice of China," which is often used to give the paper's view on foreign policy issues.
A senior Iranian lawmaker also said the decision to exempt the countries showed the US was backing away from its sanctions as they would affect the world economy.
“Regarding the Islamic Republic’s firm stance, the [US] move is an overt retreat from the United States’ previous stance,” state media reported Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security at the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, as saying.
Japan, China, and India combined buy close to half of Iran's crude exports of 2.6 million barrels a day, providing crucial foreign exchange for the OPEC member.
But the US sanctions and an EU oil embargo have cut Iran out of financial networks, making it difficult to transfer funds to pay for trade and disrupting some oil shipments because of the difficulty of securing shipping insurance.
China and India are among the countries that have said they are considering avoiding the sanctions by buying oil in a currency other than dollars.
Iran denies it is trying to develop nuclear weapons and insists its program is meant for civilian purposes.
(Al-Akhbar, Reuters, AP)
Ehud Barak said Iran is trying to make its nuclear program immune from attack before announcing a decision on assembling atomic bombs.
Israel "cannot afford" to wait in such a situation, Barak told Israel Radio, suggesting that the Jewish state was looking to attack Iran even without US backing.
Israel has the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, leading to criticism of hypocrisy from Western powers.
Barak said a few months would be given to allow sanctions and negotiations to work.
During this period, it would become clear "if the Iranians intend or don't intent to stop their nuclear weapons program."
In a separate interview with German television, Barak said that 2012 is a "highly important" year for a possible strike and speculated that the timetable for a bombing campaign is not a matter of weeks, but also not a matter of years.
Sanctions criticized
China's leading newspaper slammed US sanctions on Iranian oil, saying such unilateral action was not only wrong but could exacerbate the stand-off.
The United States has exempted Japan and 10 EU nations from financial sanctions because they have significantly cut purchases of Iranian oil, but Iran's top customers China and India remain at risk.
The decision means banks in the 11 countries have been given a six-month reprieve from the threat of being cut off from the US financial system under the new sanctions designed to pressure Iran.
The People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party, said in a commentary that the US move was misguided and selfish and China had every right to import oil from Iran.
"One stand-out feature of unilateralism is this: that one's own rules become the world's rules. Everyone must respect them, and if you don't, then you will be punished," the paper said, adding that previous unilateralism by the United States had led to the quagmires of Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The facts have proved again and again that unilateralism is not the way to resolve the world's problems, and that it will only complicate and exacerbate the situation, and not only not douse the flames but may even fan them."
The People's Daily commentary was published under the pen name "Zhong Sheng," meaning "Voice of China," which is often used to give the paper's view on foreign policy issues.
A senior Iranian lawmaker also said the decision to exempt the countries showed the US was backing away from its sanctions as they would affect the world economy.
“Regarding the Islamic Republic’s firm stance, the [US] move is an overt retreat from the United States’ previous stance,” state media reported Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security at the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, as saying.
Japan, China, and India combined buy close to half of Iran's crude exports of 2.6 million barrels a day, providing crucial foreign exchange for the OPEC member.
But the US sanctions and an EU oil embargo have cut Iran out of financial networks, making it difficult to transfer funds to pay for trade and disrupting some oil shipments because of the difficulty of securing shipping insurance.
China and India are among the countries that have said they are considering avoiding the sanctions by buying oil in a currency other than dollars.
Iran denies it is trying to develop nuclear weapons and insists its program is meant for civilian purposes.
(Al-Akhbar, Reuters, AP)
Uprooted Palestinian 
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