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Disarmament DocumentationBack to Disarmament Documentation '[A]ll options are on the table', President George W. Bush on Iran, August 12, 2005'Interview of the President by Israeli Television Channel 1', By Yaron Deckel, Israeli Television Channel 1, Bush Ranch, Crawford, Texas, August 11, 2005. Q You mentioned Iran and I wonder, Mr. President, how imminently is the Iranian threat? There was a release lately of the U.S. intelligence that they won't have any capability in the next 10 years. Is this your latest information, Mr. President? THE PRESIDENT: My latest information is that the Iranians refuse to comply with the demands of the free world, which is: do not in any way, shape or form have a program that could yield to a nuclear weapon. And the United States and Israel are united in our objective to make sure that Iran does not have a weapon. And in this particular instance, the EU 3 -- Britain, France and Germany -- have taken the lead, been helping to send the message, a unified message to the Iranians. Look, in all these instances we want diplomacy to work. And so we're working feverishly on the diplomatic route. And, you know, we'll see if we're successful or not. As you know, I'm -- Q And if not? THE PRESIDENT: Well, all options are on the table. Q Including use of force? THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know, as I say, all options are on the table. The use of force is the last option for any President. You know, we've used force in the recent past to secure our country. It's a difficult -- it's difficult for the Commander-in-Chief to put kids in harm's way. Nevertheless, I have been willing to do so as a last resort in order to secure the country and to provide the opportunity for people to live in free societies... Source: The White House, http://www.whitehouse.gov. © 2005 The Acronym Institute. |