08 March 2006
Nuclear-armed Iran Is Intolerable, U.S. Official Says
U.N. Security Council likely to increase pressure on Iran by degrees
Washington –- An Iran with nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat to global security, says a State Department arms control official.
In prepared testimony to the House of Representatives International Relations Committee March 8, Robert Joseph, under secretary of state for arms control and international security, said having nuclear weapons might embolden the Iranian regime "to advance its aggressive ambitions in and outside of the region." And those ambitions, Joseph said, are a grave threat to the stability and the security of U.S. friends and allies.
Iranian nuclear weapons would be a direct threat to U.S. forces in the Middle East, Joseph said, and would threaten the very existence of Israel.
Against any non-nuclear nation, he said, Iran could use its weapons to intimidate and blackmail.
Having nuclear weapons might also make it more likely for Iran to use chemical or biological weapons because it could believe itself safe from retaliation, he added.
Iranian nuclear proliferation, Joseph said, would provide an example for others to follow, undermining the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and leading to an arms race.
Furthermore, it would set back prospects for democracy there, by tightening the regime's hold over the Iranian people, he said.
Joseph said that Iran’s support of terrorist organizations and pursuit of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons increases the chances of a such a weapon getting into the hands of terrorists or another third party -- whether by design or diversion.
Iran's secret program to develop nuclear weapons is now two decades old, Joseph said, but it was not exposed until three years ago by an Iranian political opposition group.
Iran has pursued the goal of both enriching uranium and separating plutonium on a large scale, he said. Each element can be used as fissile material to make nuclear weapons.
"The only plausible explanation for the urgency of the Iranian enrichment program is to produce fissile material that can be used in nuclear weapons as soon as possible, no matter the international cost," Joseph said.
Nor is any progress being made in talks with Iran, Joseph said. He noted that Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in his most recent report that Iran has not cooperated with the international regulatory body.
So far, Joseph said, diplomatic efforts -- multilaterally through the European Union (specifically the EU-3 of Britain, France and Germany) and bilaterally with Russia -- have failed. Now, however, the IAEA has sent the matter to the United Nations Security Council.
Joseph said the United States sees the Security Council taking a gradual approach, working closely with the IAEA. As a first step, he said, a statement by the president of the Security Council might be expected. Such statements are issued by the council president, but agreed to by all members of the council.
"In our view, a [Security Council] presidential statement could underline serious Council concern over Iran's nuclear activities and support for the IAEA investigation," Joseph said.
If a statement were to prove insufficient, Joseph said, the Security Council then could proceed to pass a resolution. Such a resolution could be grounded in Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, he said, given the threat to international peace and security posed by Iran's nuclear program.
If Iran still does not comply, Joseph said, the United States will look to even firmer Security Council action, with the goal of persuading Iran to change course because of "the obvious resolve of the international community."
The text of Joseph's remarks will be available on the Arms Control and International Security page of State Department’s Web site.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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