The US Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden has advised senior Israeli officials to come to terms with a 'nuclear' Iran.

In a clandestine meeting with unnamed Israeli officials, which was partially covered by the US Jewish Army Radio, Barack Obama's vice-presidential nominee said, "Israel will have to reconcile itself with the nuclearization of Iran."

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Biden, a six-time Delaware Senator and chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the "amazed" officials, "It's doubtful if the economic sanctions will be effective, and I am against opening an additional military and diplomatic front."

Biden has been a Senator for Delaware since 1973, and is running mate to Barack Obama in the race for the presidency of the United States.

The pro-Israeli Senator also said that Israel is America's biggest ally in the Middle East and its strategic alliance has allowed the US to deploy fewer troops and warships in the region.

Iran says its nuclear program is only for civilian purposes but the Israeli regime and the US accuse the country of seeking nuclear weapons.

The Actual Quote:
So what did Ahmadinejad actually say? To quote his exact words in Farsi:

"Imam ghoft een rezhim-e ishghalgar-e qods bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad."

That passage will mean nothing to most people, but one word might ring a bell: rezhim-e. It is the word "regime." pronounced just like the English word with an extra "eh" sound at the end. Ahmadinejad did not refer to Israel the country or Israel the land mass, but the Israeli regime. This is a vastly significant distinction, as one cannot wipe a regime off the map. Ahmadinejad does not even refer to Israel by name, he instead uses the specific phrase "rezhim-e ishghalgar-e qods" (regime occupying Jerusalem).

So this raises the question.. what exactly did he want "wiped from the map"? The answer is: nothing. That's because the word "map" was never used. The Persian word for map, "nagsheh" is not contained anywhere in his original Farsi quote, or, for that matter, anywhere in his entire speech. Nor was the western phrase "wipe out" ever said. Yet we are led to believe that Iran's president threatened to "wipe Israel off the map." despite never having uttered the words "map." "wipe out" or even "Israel."

Originally posted by xbranscombex
reply to post by Horza

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Wrong.

82% of Americans DO NOT want a Nuclear Iran.