AFP, Washington, March 17, 2010 – US President Barack Obama said Wednesday that thwarting Iran’s nuclear program was one of his “highest priorities” and warned of a dangerous Middle East arms race if Tehran obtained an atomic bomb.
Obama promised to seek “aggressive” international sanctions against Iran, accusing the Tehran government of being more concerned with oppressing its people than of seeking to solve the Iranian nuclear question through diplomacy.
“It is one of our highest priorities to make sure that Iran doesn’t possess a nuclear weapon,” Obama told Fox News Channel in an interview.
“That is why I have worked so hard to mobilize the international community successfully, to isolate Iran.
“But as we have seen, the Iranian government has been more concerned about preventing their people from exercising their democratic and human rights than trying to solve this problem diplomatically.”
Obama vowed that no options were being taken off the table, an apparent reference to last ditch military action if diplomacy failed, but vowed to keep pushing a peaceful solution to the crisis.
“It is a hard problem but it is a problem that we need to solve because if Iran gets a nuclear weapon, than you can potentially see a nuclear arms race throughout the Middle East.”