Panetta says US prepared for any contingency on Iran, will not allow it to acquire nukes
Defense secretary references ambassador to Israel's earlier comments that the US military option on Iran is 'ready'
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Sunday that the US is prepared for a possible military strike on Iran. During an interview with ABC News, he said the US is ready for any contingency and that the international community is unified in its desire to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“The fundamental premise is that neither the United States nor the international community is going to allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon… We will do everything we can to prevent them [Iran] from developing a weapon,” Panetta said.
Panetta also referenced recent similar statements made by the US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro. Speaking at a closed forum in Tel Aviv about two weeks ago, Shapiro said that the military option on Iran is “ready.”
Shapiro stated: “It would be preferable to resolve this diplomatically, and through the use of pressure, than to use military force… But that does not mean that option isn’t available. Not just available, it’s ready. The necessary planning has been done to ensure that it’s ready.”
Panetta added that the use of military force is a last resort.