Obama: Our policy will not allow a nuclear Iran

Speaking on campaign trail, US president stresses commitment on Iran but adds 'I want to lead with diplomacy'

Yitzhak Benhorin|Published: 09.21.12 , 10:40

WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama reiterated his commitment "not to allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon." Speaking at a campaign event in Tampa Florida on Thursday Obama warned that the US "was not done yet."

Obama noted that the US "was still threatened by an Iran that is pursuing nuclear weapons…We can’t afford a nuclear arms race in the region."

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Obama's comments on the Iranian issue were mostly likely made due to the recent wave of Republican campaign ads which include Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's criticism of Obama vis-à-vis the handling of the Iranian nuclear threat in light of US State Secretary Hillary Clinton's statements in which she said that the US would not determine red lines for Iran.

And while Obama stressed his commitment to having "the strongest military in the world" he added "I also want to lead with diplomacy. I also want to lead with our values and our ideals."

Obama then focused on local issues saying "I also want to make sure that we understand that if we’re going to be strong abroad, we’ve got to do some nation-building here at home and so take half of the money that we were spending on war to pay down the deficit, and use a whole bunch of it to rebuild America, putting people back to work with roads and bridges and schools and infrastructure.

"All that can help us grow and, ultimately, will help to finance what we need to keep us safe," he said.