Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday warned Iran that the United States will not allow the Islamic Republic to acquire nuclear weapons. Cheney was aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stannis in the Persian Gulf when he issued the blunt warning.
Cheney said the US with two carrier strike groups in the Persian Gulf will keep the sea lanes open and will oppose any strategic threats from the Islamic Republic.
He also said the US will deliver justice to the enemies of freedom. Cheney’s warnings were among the strongest ever made by the US against the Islamic Republic.
Fras news agency reported today that the Iranian military has built a new air defense system capable of linking all components of air defense command and control system.
Meanwhile in Tehran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today said that Iran is at the final stage of becoming nuclear. Ahmadinejad did not elaborate what becoming nuclear means. He said, however, that the government will not retreat in the face of the threats by the enemies of the Islamic Republic.
Unlike their combative leaders, top diplomats in both US and Iran offered divergent approaches to the nuclear standoff. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today was working to set up a meeting in the next two weeks between senior US and Iranian officials in Baghdad. The US will be represented in the meeting by Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker. Iran is expected to be represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, also said today that Iran’s talks with Europeans were moving forward.
Diplomacy or war? At this stage it seems that the US will wait for the diplomacy to run its course before attacking Iran.
No comments:
Post a Comment