US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says Washington will “have all the options on the table” if Iran continues with its nuclear activities while reiterating US commitment to Israel’s security.
During a speech at the Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana on Friday, Panetta said that the United States has common cause and common concerns with Israel about Iran, Reuters reported.
“We’ve made very clear that Iran will not develop a nuclear weapon. We will not tolerate an Iran that has a nuclear weapon. Secondly, we made clear that we will not tolerate an Iran that tries to block the Strait of Hormuz,” the US defense secretary stated.
Panetta added that pressure on Iran needs to continue and Israel has been part of that.
“My hope is for the future that Israel will be part of that effort to keep the pressure on. That’s the most effective way to isolate Iran and to keep the pressure on. If they cross one of those lines I talked about, then we have all options on the table,” he pointed out.
Despite the widely publicized claims by the US, Israel and some of their European allies that Iran’s nuclear program may include a military aspect, Iran insists on its civilian nature, arguing that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
The IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence indicating that Tehran’s civilian nuclear program has been diverted towards nuclear weapons production.
This is while the Israeli regime is widely known to possess between 200 and 400 nuclear warheads. Furthermore, Tel Aviv refuses to allow its nuclear facilities to come under international regulatory inspectors and rejects any international nuclear regulatory agreements.
——Agencies