I SRAEL DEFENSE FORCES CHIEF GABI ASHKENAZI on Tuesday addressed Israel's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee about the West's brewing confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program. He said Israel was preparing for all options to halt Iran's nuclear program, and that the world powers should decide by the end of the year what plan of action they would take on the issue. In essence, he reiterated that Iran faces not only economic sanctions but war if it refuses to comply with international demands. More interestingly, he said, "The Iranian regime is radical, but it's not irrational. If the regime sees international insistence, it's not illogical to assume that it will change its direction." A consensus between Washington and Tehran has formed based on their mutual need — at present — to postpone crisis.