U.S. military chief says clock ticking on Iran nuke
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http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-40879020090707
Wed Jul 8, 2009 4:37am IST
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer warned on Tuesday
that time is running out for dialogue with Tehran to avoid either a
nuclear-armed Iran or a possible military strike against the Islamic
Republic.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said
it is critical for diplomatic efforts to reach a solution before Iran
develops a nuclear weapon or faces an Israeli or U.S. strike to turn
back its nuclear program.
"That window is a very narrow window," Mullen told an audience at the
Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think
tank.
"There's a great deal that certainly depends on the dialogue and the
engagement," he said. "I'm hopeful that that dialogue is productive. I
worry about it a great deal if it's not."
Mullen noted that some forecasters believe Iran could be as little as
a year away from developing a nuclear bomb, adding: "The clock has
continued to tick."
The Obama administration hopes to coax Tehran into negotiating over
its nuclear program. Washington and its allies say the program is
aimed at producing nuclear weapons, but Iran insists it is a civilian
electricity program.
Israel has said a nuclear-armed Iran would be a threat to its
existence and points to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's calls
for Israel to be wiped off the map.
That has raised concerns that Israel could ultimately carry out a
military strike against Iranian nuclear sites.
U.S. President Barack Obama said in an interview the United States had
"absolutely not" given Israel a green light to attack Iran over its
nuclear program, but he said Washington cannot "dictate to other
countries what their security interests are."
"It is the policy of the United States to try to resolve the issue of
Iran's nuclear capabilities in a peaceful way through diplomatic
channels," Obama told CNN during his trip to Russia.
Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview with ABC's "This Week"
program on Sunday that Israel had a sovereign right to act in its best
interest in dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions. The comment was
seen by some as giving Israel a green light to attack.
Mullen told his audience that Washington must keep all options on the
table as it pursues dialogue with Iran, "including certainly military
options."
But he said a military strike -- like the development of an Iranian
nuclear bomb itself -- would be "very destabilizing" for the Middle
East and pose unpredictable consequences for U.S. allies and
interests.
"It (a military strike) is a really important place to not go, if we
can not go there in any way, shape or form," the admiral said.
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