Washington, June 22: With Iran believed to be working to obtain weapons of mass destruction, the use of military force against the country cannot be ruled out, US Senator Sam Brownback said today. "It appears as if they clearly are working on those (weapons of mass destruction) and they don't want the international community to know that they're doing this," the Kansas lawmaker, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told a television network. Asked about the United States' options with regard to Iran, Brownback said the first choice is to "support the pro-democracy advocates" in the country, followed by "pressure from the international community" and then "political isolation." "I think the final option you're left with is a military option," he said.
"The military option remains ... I don't think we should take it off the table," he said, acknowledging however that Washington was not ready to immediately intervene in Iran in support of any pro-democracy uprising in the country.
Bureau Report