Military action won't stop Iran nuclear program: US

by Staff Writers

Washington (AFP) Nov 16, 2010
US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Tuesday that military action would not stop Iran's nuclear program and instead would only make it "deeper and more covert."

Gates told a conference that military action would offer only a "short-term solution" to the thorny issue of Iran's nuclear program.

Western nations have accused Tehran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, something Iran vehemently denies.

Military action against the Iranian government, which has refused global calls to rein in its suspect nuclear enrichment program, would "bring together a divided nation, it will make them absolutely committed to obtaining nuclear weapons," the US defense chief said.

Under that scenario, Iran's secret nuclear efforts "would just go deeper and more covert," said Gates.

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