WASHINGTON, Oct 21: US Vice-President Dick Cheney declared on Sunday that America and its allies would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
“We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Mr Cheney said in an address to the Washington Institute for Near East Studies, a staunchly pro-Israel think-tank. “Our country, and the entire international community, cannot stand by as a terror-supporting state fulfils its grandest ambitions.”
Mr Cheney called Iran’s ambitions obvious and said: “The regime continues to practise delay and deceit in an obvious effort to bury time.” If Iran continues, he said, the US and other nations were prepared to take action – though he specified no military action in this warning.
His remarks follow those of President George W. Bush who told a White House news conference last week that Iran’s efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon could lead to world war.
Reuters adds: Mr Mr Cheney described Tehran as an obstacle to Middle East peace and warned of “serious consequences” if it did not comply with the West’s demands to halt sensitive nuclear work.
“The Iranian regime needs to know that if it stays on its present course, the international community is prepared to impose serious consequences,” he told the conference.
The vice-president discussed Iran in a speech in which he emphasised the importance of continued US engagement in the Middle East and said the United States seeks stability there but not the kind that just keeps a lid on problems.
Speaking as the United States tries to lay the groundwork for a conference on Middle East peace expected to take place in Annapolis, Maryland, later this year, Mr Cheney spoke in only broad terms about the goals of that gathering.
He said the conference would aim to “provide diplomatic support” to parties seeking a deal on Palestinian statehood and review progress on building Palestinian institutions.
He repeated US criticism that Iran was interfering in Iraq, in addition to citing concern on its nuclear programme.He said that progress toward a more stable and peaceful Middle East would depend on responsible conduct by countries in the region, such as respect for neighbours’ sovereignty and compliance with international agreements.
