Obama On Iran: As President, ‘I Don’t Bluff’

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President Obama affirmed his tough stance on Iran in a lengthy interview with the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg. “I think that the Israeli government recognizes that, as president of the United States, I don’t bluff,” Obama said of the growing tension between Israel, Iran and the United States.

Obama’s message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli people is “I’ve got your back.’ Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Obama at the White House on Monday. 

In the interview, Obama said that “all options are on the table” when it comes to Iran building a nuclear weapon, with the final option being a “military component.” Here’s an excerpt from Goldberg’s interview:

“You’re talking about the most volatile region in the world,” he said. “It will not be tolerable to a number of states in that region for Iran to have a nuclear weapon and them not to have a nuclear weapon. Iran is known to sponsor terrorist organizations, so the threat of proliferation becomes that much more severe.” He went on to say, “The dangers of an Iran getting nuclear weapons that then leads to a free-for-all in the Middle East is something that I think would be very dangerous for the world.” 

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