Anti-Iran stance

Monday, July 30, 2012 - Jerusalem—Mitt Romney would back an Israeli military strike against Iran aimed at preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear capability, a top foreign policy adviser said Sunday, outlining the aggressive posture the Republican presidential candidate will take toward Iran in a speech in Israel later in the day. Romney has said he has a “zero tolerance” policy toward Iran obtaining the capability to build a nuclear weapon. “If Israel has to take action on its own, in order to stop Iran from developing the capability, the governor would respect that decision,” foreign policy adviser Dan Senor told reporters ahead of the speech, planned for late Sunday near Jerusalem’s Old City. Romney believes the option of a U.S. attack should also be “on the table.” He has said he will do “the opposite” of what U.S. President Barack Obama would do in his approach to Israel. The Obama administration hasn’t ruled out the military option, but Obama has so far been relying on sanctions and diplomatic negotiations to discourage Iran from building a nuclear bomb. For its part, Iran says it is not interested in nuclear weapons and its nuclear program is for peaceful, civilian purposes. The Israelis are considering a strike because they fear Iran could be moving its nuclear enrichment sites further underground, out of reach of the weapons Israel has available. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday welcomed Romney as “a representative of the United States” and told the Republican presidential candidate he agrees with his approach to the threat of a nuclear Iran.—AP