Obama to Iran and Israel: 'As President of the United States, I Don't Bluff' - Jeffrey Goldberg - International - The Atlantic

President Barack Obama sees the Iranian nuclear ambitions as a non-proliferation issue: that Arab countries would feel the need to go nuclear if the Persians got a nuclear weapon. The unspoken gorilla in the room is that the Israelis are already a nuclear power (wink wink). That inevitably drives the Iranians - as does U.S. hostility and Persian national pride. I think the whole thing is madness. Whoever actually used nuclear weapons would be a pariah and incalculable suffering would be inflicted on the attackers in retaliation. We are the only country that has ever used nuclear weapons. And we haven't dared to do it again. The whole nuclear deterrence theater- "mutual assured destruction" is an elaborate, costly bluff. Unfortunately they COULD be used and the safest thing is to move seriously toward nuclear disarmament. - GWC

Obama to Iran and Israel: 'As President of the United States, I Don't Bluff' - Jeffrey Goldberg - International - The Atlantic:

President Obama: "In addition to the profound threat that [a nuclear Iran] poses to Israel, one of our strongest allies in the world; in addition to the outrageous language that has been directed toward Israel by the leaders of the Iranian government -- if Iran gets a nuclear weapon, this would run completely contrary to my policies of nonproliferation. The risks of an Iranian nuclear weapon falling into the hands of terrorist organizations are profound. It is almost certain that other players in the region would feel it necessary to get their own nuclear weapons. So now you have the prospect of a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region in the world, one that is rife with unstable governments and sectarian tensions. And it would also provide Iran the additional capability to sponsor and protect its proxies in carrying out terrorist attacks, because they are less fearful of retaliation."

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