Gates Rules Out "Containing" Nuclear Iran

(FOX News) Chris Wallace - U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told "Fox News Sunday": "What we've seen is a change in the nature of the regime in Tehran over the past 18 months or so. You have a much narrower-based government in Tehran now. Many of the religious figures are being set aside. As Secretary Clinton has said, they appear to be moving more in the direction of a military dictatorship. Khamenei is leaning on a smaller and smaller group of advisors. In the meantime, you have an illegitimate election that has divided the country. So I think adding economic pressures on top of that, and particularly targeted economic pressures, has real potential." Q: Can we contain a nuclear Iran? Gates: "I don't think we're prepared to even talk about containing a nuclear Iran. Our view still is we do not accept the idea of Iran having nuclear weapons. And our policies and our efforts are all aimed at preventing that from happening....We obviously leave all options on the table."


2010-06-21 09:58:04

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