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"…we've used force in the recent past to secure our country," Bush said in a clear reference to the US-led invasion of Iraq. (Reuters).
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OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM, August 13 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - US
President George W. Bush threatened in an interview with the Israeli
television broadcast Saturday, August 13, he could consider using
force to press Iran to give up its nuclear program.
Asked
whether the use of force against Tehran was on his agenda, Bush
replied: "All options are on the table," Reuters reported.
"The
use of force is the last option for any president and you know, we've
used force in the recent past to secure our country," he said in
a clear reference to the US-led invasion-turned-occupation of Iraq in
March 2003.
"I
have been willing to do so as a last resort in order to secure the
country and provide the opportunity for people to live in free
societies," Bush told a reporter from Israeli public television
from his ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Despite
a lingering standoff, the US has ruled out the use of force against
North Korea, which boasts having nuclear weapons and reprocessing
spent fuel at its controversial Yongbyon nuclear plant.
Iran
resumed work at a uranium conversion plant on Monday, August 8, and
has rejected a resolution taken by the board of governors of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to halt sensitive atomic
work.
Tehran
maintains that its nuclear program is only designed to produce
electricity and refutes Western accusations of seeking a nuclear bomb.
IAEA
chief Mohamed ElBaradei had underlined that there was no evidence Iran
was developing nuclear weapons.
The right to peaceful nuclear technology is
enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that for 35 years has
governed efforts to contain the spread of atomic weapons.
The
New Yorker’s award-winning
reporter Seymour Hersh revealed in January 2005 that American
commandoes have been conducting secret reconnaissance missions inside
Iran.
"The
goal is to identify and isolate three dozen, and perhaps more, such
targets that could be destroyed by precision strikes and short-term
commando raids," he wrote citing well-placed CIA and Pentagon
sources.
The
sources said the "Iranian campaign" is next on the agenda of
the administration of wartime Bush.
Skeptical
Bush
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"Bear in mind that you cannot treat Iran like Iraq or Libya," said Rafsanjani. (Reuters).
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President
Bush doubted the EU initiative to defuse the crisis through diplomatic
means would succeed.
"In
all these instances we want diplomacy to work and so we are working
feverishly on the diplomatic route and, you know, we will see if we
are successful or not. As you know I'm skeptical."
Referring
to the IAEA's recent measure, Bush said: "If Iran doesn't take
the steps described in the resolution, we would expect that the next
step would be referral to the Security Council".
French
Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on Friday, August 12, that
negotiations were still possible with Iran on condition the Iranians
suspend their nuclear activities.
He
said the next step would be on September 3 when ElBaradei reports on
Iran's activities.
If
Iran continues to defy global demands, another IAEA meeting will
likely be held, where both Europe and Washington will push for a
referral to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.
Israel
has been prodding Washington to adopt a tough stance on Iran and
charged that Tehran resumed its uranium conversion activities because
it had sensed the "weakness" of the international community.
"Iran
made this decision because they are getting the impression that the
United States and the Europeans are spineless," a senior official
from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office told Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
Israel
itself is the only nuclear power in the Middle East.
Although
it has never admitted to having nuclear weapons, it is believed to
possess an
arsenal of about 200
warheads.
“Irreversible”
Iran,
for its part, maintained Friday that its decision to resume uranium
conversion was "irreversible," warning against treating it
like Iraq.
"Bear
in mind that you cannot treat Iran like Iraq or Libya," said
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the influential former president, in a
weekly Friday sermon.
"You
could drag things on but Iran's decision is irreversible," he
told the worshiper addressing himself to the West.
"It
is very important and will create new conditions for our country and
the region. It will turn a new leaf in the history of our
revolution," said Rafsanjani, who was the top challenger in
Iran's recent presidential election.
Thousands
or Iranians took to the streets of Tehran after Friday prayers,
denouncing the IAEA resolution and supporting their country’s right
to have a nuclear program.
