Washington, September 13: As Israeli drums of war beat again, the US secretary of defense expresses opposition to an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, stressing that a military solution is only a “temporary” one.
Robert Gates said Friday the best way to address Iran’s nuclear issue was to persuade Tehran through dialogue that the country’s ‘long-term security interests are diminished by having nuclear weapons, rather than enhanced.’
“There’s a lot of talk about a military effort to take out their nuclear capabilities, but, in my view, it would only be a temporary solution,” Gates told a group of 50 American scholars, community leaders and other civilians at the Pentagon on Friday.
“You could buy one to three years by doing that, but they would simply go deeper and more covert, and it would unify the country and their commitment,” he added.
Israel has never ruled out a military option to stop Iran’s nuclear activities, which Washington, Tel Aviv and their European allies claim are aimed at developing nuclear weapons.
Iran has categorically denied the allegations and called for the removal of weapons of mass destruction across the globe.
While the US claims Iran’s program could lead to an arms race in Middle East, a recent Pentagon report indicated that Israel possesses nuclear and chemical weapons.
Earlier in September, the US drafted a UN Security Council resolution urging all countries outside the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to join the pact. Israel has so far refused to sign the NPT.
According to The Washington Times, the US statement threatens to derail the 40-year-old secret agreement between Washington and Tel Aviv to shield Israel’s nuclear weapons program from international scrutiny.
The 15-nation council will debate the draft resolution on September 24 on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly.
—–Agencies