Mideast
Readers Number : 131
16/03/2009 On the eve of Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi's visit to the United States for talks on Iran's nuclear program, his American counterpart, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen, warned last Thursday that an Israeli attack on Iran might lead to escalation, undermine the region's stability and endanger the lives of Americans in the Persian Gulf "who are under the threat envelope right now", Haaretz reported on Monday.
Asked by interviewer Charlie Rose of PBS television what would happen if Israel attacked Iran, Mullen, referring to the frequent statement that "all options are on the table," said such an "option generates a much higher level of risk in terms of outcomes in the region and it really concerns me."
However, according to Haaretz, he also expressed concern about Iran acquiring nuclear capabilities, saying it would "be very destabilizing" to the region because "their neighbors are extremely concerned about it. I worry about the proliferation which would occur."
"If other parts of the world are an example, neighborhoods, when they get one, they start to proliferate," he explained. "So it really ... dramatically increases the danger in the region."
Mullen commented favorably on President Barack Obama's plan to begin a dialogue with Iran, but said that "if this dialogue fails and Iran acquires nuclear weapons, the U.S. might take military action." Though America's ground forces are "stretched" in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. has a "very strong" strategic reserve in the air force and the navy, he noted.
Mullen said that he and Ashkenazi are "by and large" in agreement on "Iran's progress toward obtaining nuclear weapons" and that any discrepancies between the Israeli and American estimates are insignificant. He said the two men have been in agreement on this issue for the "better part of the last six months or so. There was a time that we weren't, but we've actually worked pretty hard to understand where we both are and so I think generally, we're in agreement."
Mullen, who maintains close contact with Ashkenazi, will be away from Washington during the chief of staff's visit there. Instead, Ashkenazi will meet with Mullen's deputy, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. James Cartwright, as well as National Security Advisor Gen. James Jones, Director of National Intelligence Adm. Dennis Blair and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's special adviser for the Gulf and Southwest Asia, Dennis Ross. Before going to Washington, he held several meetings in New York last week, including one with United Nations envoy to Lebanon Terje Larsen.
Mullen also told PBS that he and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates do not disagree about Iran's nuclear project. A comment Mullen made recently to CNN created the impression that he believes Iran has sufficient uranium to produce its first bomb, whereas Gates has repeatedly declared that Iran is still far from this. But Mullen explained that his answer related to the question of whether Iran has enough low-enriched uranium, not enough of the high-enriched type needed to make a bomb.
Readers Number : 131
16/03/2009 On the eve of Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi's visit to the United States for talks on Iran's nuclear program, his American counterpart, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen, warned last Thursday that an Israeli attack on Iran might lead to escalation, undermine the region's stability and endanger the lives of Americans in the Persian Gulf "who are under the threat envelope right now", Haaretz reported on Monday.
Asked by interviewer Charlie Rose of PBS television what would happen if Israel attacked Iran, Mullen, referring to the frequent statement that "all options are on the table," said such an "option generates a much higher level of risk in terms of outcomes in the region and it really concerns me."
However, according to Haaretz, he also expressed concern about Iran acquiring nuclear capabilities, saying it would "be very destabilizing" to the region because "their neighbors are extremely concerned about it. I worry about the proliferation which would occur."
"If other parts of the world are an example, neighborhoods, when they get one, they start to proliferate," he explained. "So it really ... dramatically increases the danger in the region."
Mullen commented favorably on President Barack Obama's plan to begin a dialogue with Iran, but said that "if this dialogue fails and Iran acquires nuclear weapons, the U.S. might take military action." Though America's ground forces are "stretched" in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. has a "very strong" strategic reserve in the air force and the navy, he noted.
Mullen said that he and Ashkenazi are "by and large" in agreement on "Iran's progress toward obtaining nuclear weapons" and that any discrepancies between the Israeli and American estimates are insignificant. He said the two men have been in agreement on this issue for the "better part of the last six months or so. There was a time that we weren't, but we've actually worked pretty hard to understand where we both are and so I think generally, we're in agreement."
Mullen, who maintains close contact with Ashkenazi, will be away from Washington during the chief of staff's visit there. Instead, Ashkenazi will meet with Mullen's deputy, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. James Cartwright, as well as National Security Advisor Gen. James Jones, Director of National Intelligence Adm. Dennis Blair and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's special adviser for the Gulf and Southwest Asia, Dennis Ross. Before going to Washington, he held several meetings in New York last week, including one with United Nations envoy to Lebanon Terje Larsen.
Mullen also told PBS that he and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates do not disagree about Iran's nuclear project. A comment Mullen made recently to CNN created the impression that he believes Iran has sufficient uranium to produce its first bomb, whereas Gates has repeatedly declared that Iran is still far from this. But Mullen explained that his answer related to the question of whether Iran has enough low-enriched uranium, not enough of the high-enriched type needed to make a bomb.
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