U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice told NBC’s "Meet the Press" last night that America "cannot allow the Iranians to develop a nuclear weapon," warning that US President George W. Bush would "look at all the tools that are available to him" in order to foil Iran’s bid for nuclear weapons.
Rice added that she expected the International Atomic Energy Agency to make what she termed, "a very strong statement" this September, which would force Iran to either cease its quest to acquire nuclear weapons or face isolation in the international community. Rise refrained from saying whether the United States would attempt to impose sanctions against Iran in the UN Security Council.
An article in Sunday’s New York Times reported that the Bush administration's diplomatic efforts during the past 20 months to stop the progress of nuclear weapons programs in Iran and North Korea had so far failed.
Asked about Israel’s role in preventing the Islamic state from reaching nuclear capabilities, Rice declined to discuss the role of the Jewish state: "I think that I don't want to get into hypotheticals on this," Rice said.
Rice was among those who publicly declared that history had vindicated Israel’s1981 raid on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor. On a previous occasion, Rice said that had Israel not launched that attack, which was widely condemned as a provocation at the time, Iraq would have had nuclear weapons by the start of the first Gulf War.
Rice added that she expected the International Atomic Energy Agency to make what she termed, "a very strong statement" this September, which would force Iran to either cease its quest to acquire nuclear weapons or face isolation in the international community. Rise refrained from saying whether the United States would attempt to impose sanctions against Iran in the UN Security Council.
An article in Sunday’s New York Times reported that the Bush administration's diplomatic efforts during the past 20 months to stop the progress of nuclear weapons programs in Iran and North Korea had so far failed.
Asked about Israel’s role in preventing the Islamic state from reaching nuclear capabilities, Rice declined to discuss the role of the Jewish state: "I think that I don't want to get into hypotheticals on this," Rice said.
Rice was among those who publicly declared that history had vindicated Israel’s1981 raid on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor. On a previous occasion, Rice said that had Israel not launched that attack, which was widely condemned as a provocation at the time, Iraq would have had nuclear weapons by the start of the first Gulf War.