President Obama: Iran 'A Year or So Away' From Developing Nuclear Weapon; Will Visit Israel Next Week

President Barack Obama said Thursday that the U.S. remains committed to doing everything in its power to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, even as he contends the Islamic Republic is about a year away from developing it, he said in an exclusive interview on Israeli TV. Obama is due to arrive in the Jewish State next Wednesday, telling Israel's Channel 2 TV that he still prefers diplomacy over force, citing that a nuclear Iran remains a "red line," and all options remain on the table to stop it.

"Right now, we think it would take over a year or so for Iran to actually develop a nuclear weapon, but obviously we don't want to cut it too close," he said.

"So when I'm consulting with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] as I have over the last several years on this issue, my message to him will be the same as before: 'If we can resolve it diplomatically that is a more lasting solution. But if not I continue to keep all options on the table.'"

Israel and the U.S., stalwart allies have never seen completely eye-to-eye when it comes to the Iran nuclear issue. Israel has indicated it must act militarily if it sees an imminent threat to its existence. The U.S. has long pushed for more diplomacy and economic sanctions to run their course.

Then Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta differed with Netanyahu's assessment, saying the situation is not so dire imminent: "When they make the decision to go ahead and build a nuclear weapon," said Panetta, "that, for us, is a red line."

Iran's repeated denials of the Holocaust, calls for Israel's destruction and development missiles capable of striking the Jewish State, as well as funding terror organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah are seen as examples of how a nuclear Iran poses a threat to its existence. "Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful and designed to produce energy and medical isotopes, a claim that Israel and many Western countries reject," CBS News reported.

Obama arrives in Israel this Wednesday for a three-day visit.

Tags

President Obama, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel, U.S. Foreign Policy, Mid-East Peace Process

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