Posted on 09/07/2004 4:26:06 PM PDT by yonif
Current international efforts to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons are not enough, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in a Jerusalem Post interview Tuesday.
"Actions are being taken, but I don' t think the pressure is enough," Sharon said.
Sharon said there needs to be increased supervision of Iran, and that the issue should be brought to the United Nations Security Council.
Israel, Sharon said, is not leading the campaign against Iran, but "is taking its own measures to defend itself..." He did not elaborate.
Sharon said that if the international community wants to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and it is still possible to stop them, "they [Iran] will need to be taken to the Security Council" for sanctions.
Sharon said "there is no doubt" that Iran is trying to obtain nuclear weapons. "That is their intention, and they are doing it by deception and subterfuge, using this cover or that. This is completely clear."
"I don't see that the [international] activity against them is enough to stop them from obtaining nuclear weapons," Sharon said. "And that is a very big danger, especially since they succeeded in developing a rocket, the Shihab-3, that has a range of 1,300 km. and puts Israel in its range. They are working on a missile with a range of 2,500 km. This is a country that calls for the destruction of Israel – the moderates call for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people – and they are doing everything to get weapons of mass destruction."
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom warned Tuesday that Iran would exploit the period before the next US president takes office to forge ahead with the development of its nuclear capabilities. Shalom, who was speaking to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said Iran is "not afraid" of US moves against it because it does not believe any steps will be taken during the election campaign.
Iran is "not afraid" of US moves against it because it does not believe any steps will be taken during the election campaign.
I would be more afraid of a suicide Mossad team with a significant weapon.
Ping.
A bit of an understatement. France, Russia, China and Germany have been supplying Iran with equipment and the means to further their nuclear program, because it means a quick buck. When the chickens come home to roost they may be singing a different tune though. It only takes one nuke to ruin your whole day.
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