Ahmadinejad says the U.S. needs to choose between Israel and Iran

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the United States needs to choose between Israel and Iran - however, Israel continues to make its international case that Iran is the aggressor.

The common concern most readily shared between Israel and Iran is likely that the United States cannot remain on the fence when it comes to working with the two antagonistic nations. This position was publicly addressed on Tuesday in a speech delivered by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the 25th Session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) in Istanbul. "The support of both Israel and Iran can't go hand in hand," Ahmadinejad said. "No change is made unless great choices are made." Meanwhile, Israel sought to influence the international community's perspective on Iran, releasing documents on Wednesday that Israeli officials say directly links Iran to weapons shipments that were destined for Hezbollah. The arms shipments - and the additional tensions over Iran's decision to treat three Americans detained in Iran as spies - likely make it difficult for the Obama administration to take an Iranian side, should such a scenario be necessary. The United States, Israel, and a host of European allies believe that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has stated all along that it intends to use its nuclear program for peaceful medical purposes.