Gates: Military Action Will Not Stop Iran Nuclear Program

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says military action against Iran’s nuclear program would only make it “deeper and more covert,” while asserting that economic sanctions aimed at Tehran are biting harder than anticipated and triggering divisions among its leadership.

Gates told a policy forum in Washington Tuesday that any military action against the Islamic Republic would “bring together a divided nation” and make Iran’s leaders “absolutely committed to obtaining nuclear weapons.”

While Gates said he believes Iran still intends to acquire atomic weapons, he stated that any attack against the country would only delay Iranian nuclear capabilities by two or three years.

The U.S. defense secretary added that evidence suggests Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is now “beginning to wonder” if President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is lying to him about the impact sanctions are having on Iran’s economy. Publicly, Mr. Ahmadinejad has insisted the measures have not been effective.

Many Western countries believe Iran aims to use its uranium enrichment program to build atomic weapons, a charge Tehran denies.

Both Israel and the United States have said all options remain on the table to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the West to convince Iran that it would be willing to take military action to prevent the Islamic Republic from producing atomic weapons. Mr. Netanyahu was quoted as telling U.S. Vice President Joe Biden that a credible threat of such action is the only way to ensure Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons.

In his remarks, Gates publicly disagreed with the Israeli leader about the need to put forward a military threat.

Also Tuesday, the Iranian air force began a five-day military exercise to test its ability to deter air strikes. The war games are being held near nuclear facilities and include tests of long-range missiles. Tehran said it is the biggest exercise of its kind Iran has ever staged.

The military has also said it plans to test a new radar system with a range of about 3,000 kilometers.

Some information in this story was provided by AFP and Reuters.