AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE,
Washington DC: Iran has the capability to develop nuclear arms and the means to deliver them, a senior US official said Monday, adding the world must use “whatever measures are necessary” to dissuade Tehran.
Robert Joseph, undersecretary of state for arms control, took a tough line with the Iranians two days after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted to report Tehran to the UN Security Council for its nuclear work.
US officials have said that Iran was at least five years away from developing a nuclear bomb, but Joseph said the Islamic Republic had the money and technical know-how to do so — and was also getting outside help.
“I would say that Iran does have the capability to develop nuclear weapons and the delivery means for those weapons,” Joseph told a news conference at the Foreign Press Center here.
Asked about the next steps with Iran, Joseph said, “No options are off the table. We cannot tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran, but we are giving every chance for diplomacy to work and again we've entered the next level of diplomacy.
“What is necessary to stop Iran is a firm indication that the international community not only will speak to this issue but will take whatever measures are necessary to convince Iran that it is in its interest to forego a nuclear weapons capability.”
