Sunday, February 14, 2010

US Chief of Staff Mullen: Iran is up 1-3 years to Nuclear; Strike could have unintended consequences

(IsraelNN.com) Visiting U.S. Chief of Staff Mike Mullen said in Tel Aviv on Sunday that attacking Iran would have “unintended consequences” and maintained that Tehran is up to three years away from nuclear capability.

"I worry a great deal about the unintended consequences of a strike," he told reporters. "I think the Iranians are very difficult to predict."

Mullen's visit to Israel on Sunday is the second in the past year as the United States continues to insist that diplomatic sanctions can stop Iran from producing a nuclear warhead aimed at annihilating Israel. The Obama administration is hoping that China will fall into line and join U.N. Security Council nations to back stiffer sanctions against Iran.

“Of course, there are limits and this [military] option is on the table, but we are not there yet,” Mullen said, explaining that Iran is one to three years away from being able to deliver a nuclear weapon. Last week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed that Iran has produced its first batch of enriched uranium, a key element for a nuclear weapon.