Atomic agency chief: I'll quit if Iran attacked
IAEA Chief ElBaradei: Military strike on Iran's nuke sites would turn region into a 'fireball'; US: We told Israel we want diplomatic solution
The chief of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said in remarks aired on Friday that he would resign if there was a military strike on Iran, warning that any such attack would turn the region into a "fireball".
"What I see in Iran today is a current, grave and urgent danger. If a military strike is carried out against Iran at this time ... It would make me unable to continue my work," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamad ElBaradei told al-Arabiya television in an interview.
Earlier Friday, the New York Times reported that US officials said Israel carried out a large military exercise this month that appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
'We're seeking a peaceful resolution'
Meanwhile, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack would not comment Friday on whether the United States supports or opposes any future Israeli air strikes against Iran.
"We are seeking a peaceful, diplomatic resolution" to the threat the West sees from Iran's nuclear program, McCormack said. "We have made that clear to the Israeli government; we have made that clear to the Iranian government; we have made that clear to anybody who will listen and who asked about it."
In its report, the New York Times cited unidentified American officials who said more than 100 Israeli F-16 and F-15 fighters took part in the maneuvers over the eastern Mediterranean and Greece in the first week of June.
