Israeli acting PM vows no tolerance to nuclear Iran

Israeli Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday that the Jewish state could not reconcile itself to the threat of a nuclear Iran.

"Under no circumstances, and at no point, can Israel allow anyone with these kinds of malicious designs against us, to have control of weapons of destruction that can threaten our existence, " Olmert told a joint news conference with Israeli President Moshe Katsav.

"The state of Israel cannot reconcile itself to a situation in which there is a threat against us, just as, in my view, the nations of Europe and the United States cannot reconcile themselves," he said.

"Israel had acted and would continue to act in full consultation with these international elements," he said when asked the possibility of Israel's military intervention.

Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli delegation left for Moscow, Russia, to discuss Israel's concerns over Iran's nuclear armament plans.

The delegation, headed by National Security Council chief Giora Eiland and Director General of Israel's Atomic Energy Commission Gideon Frank, will head to Britain after Russia.

Israel wants to persuade Russia to refer the Iranian issue to the UN Security Council, a move Moscow has so far objected.

The delegation's trip was planned over a month ago, after a strategic dialogue held between Israel and the United States in Washington.

Source: Xinhua