Washington, July 23: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US is prepared to take “crippling action” against Iran should it fail to curb its nuclear program, and is working with Middle East allies to boost their defences.
“If the US extends a defence umbrella over the region, if we do even more to support the military capacity of those in the Gulf, it’s unlikely that Iran will be any stronger or safer,” Clinton said at a televised town hall meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.
“They won’t be able to intimidate and dominate as they apparently believe they can once they have a nuclear weapon.”
US President Barack Obama’s push to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for expanded ties has been hindered by political turmoil following last month’s Iranian presidential election.
Extending defence commitments to the region would entail a significant foreign policy shift in an area central to world energy markets.
“We also have made it clear that we will take action as I’ve said time and time again, crippling action,” Clinton said, without elaborating. She reiterated that the US favours dialogue with Iran through multi-national talks, while adding that “we’re not going to keep the window open indefinitely.”
Those negotiations, involving the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, plus Germany, included an offer to aid Iran’s civilian nuclear program and provide economic benefits in return for a suspension of enrichment.
Clinton, who made the remarks before travelling to the Thai resort of Phuket for security talks with Asian officials, suggested offering Middle East allies protection against Iran under the US “nuclear umbrella” in an April 2008 presidential debate against Obama.
A United Arab Emirates official this April said a threat by the US to retaliate against an Iranian attack in the Middle East with nuclear weapons would be a powerful deterrent.
The US currently extends nuclear arms protection to its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, along with Japan, South Korea and Australia.
Iran, the world’s fourth-largest oil producer, says its nuclear efforts are intended solely to generate electrical power.
The country has increased its enriched uranium production and continued to block attempts by international monitors to probe whether it is secretly developing weapons, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in June.
–Agencies–