Back-and-forth messages from U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden about a possible Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities are meant to “distinguish” the two countries, national security adviser Uzi Arad said Wednesday. "My understanding of what Biden said is that the second part is the interesting part - not that Israel is sovereign to act, but that he said the United States acts differently. Essentially, he distinguished himself" from Israel, Arad said.
"What was important for him was to transmit to the Iranians that we, the United States, are different." Obama's quick response, said Arad, was an attempt to clarify that the U.S. was still interested in dialogue despite Iran's protester crackdown following the disputed presidential election. According to Arad, there was no attempt by the U.S. to suggest it would give a green light to an Israeli offensive. Israel's right to make its own defense decisions is a right that "the United States cannot take away from Israel, and doesn't try to," stated Arad.