White House Rivals Clash Over Iran
11:32pm UK, Wednesday July 09, 2008
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has insisted Iran’s missile tests proved a need for direct US talks with Tehran.
Barack Obama and John McCain
But Republican White House hopeful John McCain emphasised sanctions and an anti-missile shield.
Iran’s launching of nine long-range and medium-range missiles reverberated across the US campaign trail and both candidates were quick to offer their ideas on forcing Tehran to back down.
The US suspects Tehran is developing a nuclear weapon, a charge Iran denies.
Neither Mr Obama nor Mr McCain discussed a military option against Iran, emphasising diplomatic activity instead.
But only Mr Obama saw the need for direct talks with the Iranian leadership, an option for which he was hotly criticised during the Democratic primary campaign by vanquished rival Hillary Clinton as well as by McCain.
“As these tests have reaffirmed, the threat from Iran’s nuclear programme is real and it is grave,” Illinois Senator Mr Obama said in a statement.
“As president, I will do everything in my power to eliminate that threat, and that must begin with direct, aggressive and sustained diplomacy,”
Republican John McCain
Mr McCain, who in the past has criticised Mr Obama’s pursuit of direct talks with Iran as naive, told reporters that the US already has ways to communicate its views to Tehran.
“We have lines of communications with the Iranians and they are many,” Mr McCain said. “Their behaviour … has obviously not changed.”
Mr McCain is trailing Mr Obama in national opinion polls ahead of the November 4 election.
The battle lines have been drawn this time in the sands of Iran. The American public is already war weary from Iraq, so the possibility of another military conflict with Iran, could prove to be a deciding factor in November’s election.
With violence increasing in Afghanistan, the cost of fuel rising into the stratosphere, do in a large part to instability in the region, voters will have to decide whether military might or diplomacy is the best way to achieve stability.
Washington correspondent Jon-Christopher Bua
The US, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany offered Iran a revised incentives package last month, including assistance to help Tehran develop a civilian nuclear programme in exchange for Iran giving up its nuclear efforts.
The UN Security Council has already imposed three rounds of sanctions on Iran for ignoring its demands to suspend uranium enrichment and other activities.
admin @ July 9, 2008