UAE Ambassador endorses hit on Iran nukes

Eli Lake:

The United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States said Tuesday that the benefits of bombing Iran's nuclear program outweigh the short-term costs such an attack would impose.

In unusually blunt remarks, Ambassador Yousef al-Otaiba publicly endorsed the use of the military option for countering Iran's nuclear program, if sanctions fail to stop the country's quest for nuclear weapons.

"I think it's a cost-benefit analysis," Mr. al-Otaiba said. "I think despite the large amount of trade we do with Iran, which is close to $12 billion … there will be consequences, there will be a backlash and there will be problems with people protesting and rioting and very unhappy that there is an outside force attacking a Muslim country; that is going to happen no matter what."

"If you are asking me, 'Am I willing to live with that versus living with a nuclear Iran?,' my answer is still the same: 'We cannot live with a nuclear Iran.' I am willing to absorb what takes place at the expense of the security of the U.A.E."

...

John R. Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the comments reflect the views of many Arab states in the Persian Gulf region that "recognize the threat posed by a nuclear Iran."

"They also know — and worry — that the Obama administration's policies will not stop Iran," he told The Times in a separate interview.

...

That sounds like a rational decision to me. I am not sure this administration is that rational in its dealings with Iran to date. Their open door policy keeps being slammed in their face. I think the assumption that the current Iran regime is rational on this issue is an invalid one. These are guys on a "mission from God" and they are not going to make God angry by agreeing to a compromise.

BTW, while Iran would like to be able to develop a nuclear weapon it can put on a missile, it may decide to deliver its bomb on the back of a truck or on board a ship where those doing the transport know they are on a one way trip. Such a decision could move up their development date to a matter of months.

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