Barak: I'd want nukes if I were Iranian
Defense minister tells PBS' Charlie Rose should Iran obtain nuclear capabilities there would be no way to stop Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Egypt from following suit. 'Israel allegedly has nukes,' he says
"Iran is exactly where the IAEA report says, and they (have been there) for quite a long time. For some reason (former IAEA chief Mohamed) ElBaradei got a Nobel Peace Prize, but he never told the truth," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Wednesday during an interview with PBS broadcaster Charlie Rose.
"It is clear that (Iran) is determined to achieve (military nuclear) capability," he said.
To watch full interview click here
Asked by Rose whether he would strive for nuclear weapons had he been in Iran's shoes, Barak said, "Probably…I don't delude myself that they are doing it just because of Israel. They have their history of 4,000 years. They look around, they see the Indians are nuclear, the Chinese are nuclear, Pakistan is nuclear…Israel allegedly has it (military nuclear capability)."
Related articles:
- Iran: Mossad's involvement in blast a myth
-
Op-ed: Iran’s nuclear boomerang
-
Op-ed: Prepare for Iran war
The defense minister told Rose that should Iran turn nuclear there would be no way of preventing Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Egypt from following suit. "The Middle East with a nuclear Iran is a totally different place," he said. "That will open a new round (of the) nuclear arms race under much less responsible hands…It's too risky."
Barak continued to say that allowing Iran to obtain nuclear weapons may eventually lead to the conquering of Qatar or Bahrain by the Islamic Republic. "Who in the world will come to liberate them? It's (Persian Gulf region) is the source of 40 percent of the energy of the world," the defense minister said.
"Whatever kind of risks people can raise (regarding) tougher action (against Iran), try always to think what would happen if they already turn nuclear."
During the interview, the former IDF chief of staff called for harsher economic sanctions against Tehran, but said that while world leaders are declaring that "all options are on the table," they lack the "political will," as Barak put it, to "do it through the UN Security Council or outside the UN Security Council."
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
