9 January 2012
Hi, just wanted to make sure you saw this important discussion with Secretary of Defense Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dempsey on yesterday’s Face the Nation.
From CBS: “Defense Secretary Leon Panetta outlined some red lines when it comes to Iran in an interview on Face the Nation Sunday, saying the U.S. would not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon or to block the Strait of Hormuz, which is a key passageway for oil from the Middle East.”
WATCH the discussion here: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57354645/panetta-iran-cannot-develop-nukes-block-strait/?tag=contentBody%3bcbsCarousel
KEY EXCERPTS
Panetta on Iran:
I think — I think the international strategy here, and this really has been an international strategy, to apply sanctions, to apply diplomatic pressure on them, to try to convince Iran that, if — you know, if they want to do what’s right, they need to join the international family of nations and act in a responsible way.
I think the pressure of the sanctions; I think the pressure of diplomatic pressures from everywhere — Europe, the United States, elsewhere — is working to put pressure on them, to make them understand that they cannot continue to do what they’re doing.
Are they trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No. But we know that they’re trying to develop a nuclear capability. And that’s what concerns us. And our red line to Iran is, do not develop a nuclear weapon. That’s a red line for us.
Panetta on Military Option:
Well, you don’t take any option off the table. I think that’s extremely important. Don’t take any option off the table. But the responsible thing to do right now is to keep putting diplomatic and economic pressure on them to force them to do the right thing and to make sure that they do not make the decision to proceed with the development of a nuclear weapon.
Dempsey on the U.S. Has the Capability to take out Iran’s Nuclear Program:
Well, I would rather not discuss the degree of difficulty in any way encourage them to read anything into that. But I will say that my responsibility is to encourage the right degree of planning, to understand the risks associated with any kind of military option, in some cases to position assets, to provide those options in a timely fashion. And all those activities are going on.
SCHIEFFER: Could we, if we had to, without using nuclear weapons ourselves take out their nuclear capability?
DEMPSEY: Well, I certainly want them to believe that that’s the case.
SCHIEFFER: Well, is it?
DEMPSEY: I absolutely want them to believe that that’s the case.
Panetta on Military Options if Iran Moves Towards a Nuclear Weapon:
I think they need to know that if they take that step that they’re going to get stopped.
Panetta on Strait of Hormuz:
We made very clear that the United States will not tolerate blocking of the Straits of Hormuz. That’s another red line for us. And we will respond to that.
Dempsey on Iran’s Ability to Block the Strait of Hormuz:
They’ve invested in capabilities that could, in fact, for a period of time block the Strait of Hormuz. We’ve invested in capabilities to ensure if that happens, we can defeat that. And so the simple answer is yes they can block it. Of course that is, as well, a — we’ve described that as an intolerable act.
And it’s not just intolerable for us, it’s intolerable to the world. But we would take action and reopen the straits.
Panetta on Israeli Military Action against Iran:
I think, you know, our preference is that the international community, including Israel, ought to work together on this issue. We have common cause here. We’re not interested in them developing a nuclear weapon. We are not interested in them proliferating violence throughout that region. We are not interested in them trying to assist in terrorism. We are not interested in them trying to destabilize governments in that region or any place else. We have common cause here. And the better approach is for us to work together and not act…
… If the Israelis made that decision, we would have to be prepared to protect our forces in that situation. And that’s what we’d be concerned about.
As always, feel free to get in touch to discuss further. Best, Ari
Ari Goldberg
Spokesperson • Director of Media Relations
agoldberg@aipac.org
AIPAC • The American Israel Public Affairs Committee
251 H Street, , Washington, DC 20001