US officials today blasted Arab nations for seeking to bring Israel’s nuclear weapons up at the IAEA, saying that singling out Israel as the only nuclear-armed nation in the region would harm the push to eliminate such arms in the region.

The Obama Administration had initially endorsed the idea of a nuclear-free Middle East, but has quickly backtracked on that position when it realized, apparently after the fact, that Israel is the only nation in the region with such weapons, and has ruled out giving them up. Since then Obama has endorsed Israel’s “right” to have such an arsenal.

IAEA chief Amano Yukiya says that the current situation appears unresolvable, and attempts to get Israel and the Arab nations of the region to agree on how to approach a nuclear-free region is a failure.

It’s not surprising, since the Arab position is that a nuclear-free Middle East means exactly what it said, and Israel’s position is that it’s outright impossible. These are not subtle differences, and there’s no real middle ground.