Washington: President Barack Obama has said
that he would order the US military to destroy Iran`s nuclear
programme as a final option, if economic sanctions fail to
compel Tehran to shelve its nuclear ambitions.
"I don`t bluff," Obama said delivering his most explicit
threat to Tehran to keep away from nuclear weapons, warning
that "all options are on the table" and that the final option
is the "military component."
At the same time, the US president also warned Israel
against a premature attack on Iran, cautioning Tel Aviv that
any hasty military attack might inadvertently help Tehran to
portray itself as "victim".
The tough comments yet on the Iranian nuclear issue came
ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu.
"I also don`t, as a matter of sound policy, go around
advertising exactly what our intentions are. But I think both
the Iranian and the Israeli governments recognise that when
the United States says it is unacceptable for Iran to have a
nuclear weapon, we mean what we say," Obama told `The
Atlantic` magazine in an interview last night.
"I think that the Israeli government recognises that, as
president of the United States, I don`t bluff."
PTI
