Israeli deputy PM says Iran wishes to reestablish Persian Empire
In UN visit Silvan Shalom says he hopes 'tough sanctions' will stop it from gaining nuclear capability
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Israel’s deputy prime minister said on Tuesday Iran wants to revive the Persian Empire and once again become a major superpower with a nuclear bomb.
Silvan Shalom told reporters after meeting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Iran would like to change the types of regimes in the Middle East and take control of all the oil fields in the region as part of its quest for power.
The Persian Empire once encompassed millions of miles (kilometers) in Asia, Africa and Europe from modern-day Afghanistan through most of the Mideast to Turkey and Macedonia.
Shalom expressed hope that tough new sanctions by the European Union, the U.S. and others might lead Iran to give up its nuclear program.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.