Senior figures whose job it is to know these things claimed on Saturday night that they have no idea what caused the powerful explosion at a base where the Iranian Revolutionary Guard stores equipment, some 25 miles outside of Tehran. From the moment the Iranian opposition announced that a facility used to store advanced Shahab missiles had gone up in smoke, speculation began in the West about an Israeli invisible hand. Officially, however, Israel shrugged its shoulders and said it had nothing to do with it. This denial was reinforced by Iranian spokespeople, who preferred to describe the incident as a homemade mishap, rather than the work of foreign agents. There is no foundation to the claim that Israel caused the incident, and even if it is not telling the truth regarding the matter, there is no reason to complain to Israel about it. There is no reason to take responsibility for such an act, whether it was carried out by Israel or not. Even if not it will be no disaster if the Iranians invest resources and intelligence in an effort to find the crack in their dam. On the other hand, there is no reason for Israel to take responsibility for an operation that could draw fire in the form of international criticism. When Yitzhak Shamir said, "It's okay to lie for the Land of Israel," and he of course was referring to tricks in the international arena and external manipulations, he was derided. But if the incident in Iran had a Hebrew stamp on it, and Israel denied it it would be another example of a permissible and desirable lie-that is-not-a-lie. Although, again, there is no sign that this is actually the case. Malfunctions happen. The Iranian opposition has been active in the past. There is no reason they would not do the same now, while the regime is imposing on its country a confrontation with the enlightened world, and there are signs that the ayatollahs and Mahmoud Ahmedinejad despite the extreme statements have recently been treating their nuclear project with increased caution, out of concern for an aggressive international response. This is a welcome concern, which all the unnecessary chatter by former senior Israeli officials weakens. Saturday's accident not far from Tehran hit the Iranian regime's most dangerous element, the Revolutionary Guard, and there is no reason to be sorry for that. Israel's silent response is also proof of the hidden wisdom of the policy of ambiguity that Israel has maintained regarding the nuclear issue for some 51 years. It yields more benefit than difficulties. Israelis and foreigners who advise the Jewish state to exchange this policy for a worthless international agreement should take note. Next year in Finland, an international conference is scheduled to take place that will deal with the nuclear issue in the Middle East. Hosni Mubarak's Egypt initiated it, in order to badger Israel. On Saturday, we received additional proof of why Jerusalem must clearly adhere to continued ambiguity when it comes to the larger issue: Israel's nuclear project.
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