Isabel Kershner: US Announces Sanctions Against Israeli Company.

Even as Prime Minister was praising the United States in a speech on Tuesday for imposing tougher sanctions on Iran for its nuclear activities, the State Department announced that it was imposing sanctions on a leading Israeli company, "Ofer Brothers Group", for activities supporting Iran's energy sector. While the State Department's decision caused Israel considerable embarrassment, it was the timing that created created the greatest stir. It came soon after Mr. Netanyahu's 'friction' with Obama over using the 1967 borders as a basis for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: "Nobody wants to over-interpret the choice of timing," said an Israeli official who was speaking on the condition of anonymity for diplomatic reasons, "but there was no objective reason for the State Department to come out with the announcement on that precise day." "Does this carry meaning? I am unable to tell you, but you cannot blame anyone for being suspicious," he said. The Obama administration dismissed any connection between the sanctions and Mr. Netanyahu's visit. "These sanctions take months" to work through the Department of Treasury's vetting process, a senior administration official said. "There is a process." Still, the awkward fact remains that a corporation owned by one of Israel's most prominent business families has been blacklisted for dealings, however indirect, with Iran.