Please Squeeze the Mullahs Some Congressmen see a way to stop Iran from getting nukes.
By Clifford D. May
President Bush was under no illusions about the threat a nuclear-armed, militant Islamist regime in Tehran would pose. But during two terms in the White House, he took no serious steps to prevent Iran’s nuclear capability from steadily developing.
President Obama also does not appear to be under any illusions. “Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon, I believe, is unacceptable,” he said during his first post-election press conference.
The Obama administration’s initial response was to pursue “direct diplomatic engagement” with Iran. But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, traveling in the Middle East this week, reportedly told an Arab foreign minister that it now seems “very doubtful” that such an approach will succeed. Significant pressure will be required to persuade Iran’s ruling mullahs to give up their nuclear ambitions — not to mention their support of terrorist groups abroad and their egregious human rights violations at home.