If there’s an area GOP presidential candidates seemed to agree on Saturday night, it’s that President Barack Obama is not doing enough to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said Obama’s Iran policy was his “greatest failing,” and did not rule out military action against Iran in a potential Romney administration.
“If all else fails, if after all of the work we’ve done, there’s nothing else we could do besides take military action. Then of course you take military action,” he said when asked of his thoughts on a possible military strike.
“If in the end, despite all of those things, the dictatorship persists you have to take whatever steps are necessary to break its capacity to have a nuclear weapon,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said.
Using all covert actions at the disposal of the United States, including the assassination of Iranian scientists working on the country’s nuclear program should be the first order of business.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry said the Obama administration needs to go further in its financial punishment of Iran by sanctioning its Central Bank, an action analysts say could bring the Iranian economy to its knees.
The Obama administration resisted such a move for fear of what it might do to global energy markets in the midst of a slow economic recovery in the United States.
Former Godfather’s Pizza CEO, Herman Cain, said the United States must do more to assist the Iranian opposition seeking to overthrow the theocratic regime. Cain followed that statement up be saying he would not “entertain military opposition” in assisting the Iranian opposition.
Rep. Ron Paul said it “isn’t worthwhile” going to war to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. I’m afraid what’s going on right now is similar to the war propaganda that went on against Iraq,” he said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency issued a report last week that expressed alarm on Iran’s nuclear program.
“The agency has serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear program,” the report said.