WASHINGTON
A leading congressional Democrat said Thursday that a military strike should be used against Iran if a deal could not be reached about the Islamic republic’s nuclear program.
"The alternative to a deal would surely mean some kind of military strikes on Iran’s nuclear plant," said Rep. Elliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs committee.
He stressed, during a committee hearing, that no deal is better than a bad deal, adding that throughout the negotiating process he has been concerned about sanctions relief for Iran.
Even with sanctions in place, Iran was the "largest state of terrorism on world," and its financed instability “in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Gaza and its Gulf allies", said the long-time Israel supporter.
Also testifying was former Assistant Secretary of State Stephen Radmaker who agreed with the idea that the U.S. should consider military action to prevent any plans Iran may have for using nuclear power.
"The president should declare this to be U.S. policy and the Congress should formally endorse it," he said. The U.S needs to make sure that "Iran can't produce enough material for nuclear weapons either now or after the agreement expires."
Two of the Obama administration’s options for Iran included a military option, according to a former Pentagon advisor who gave testimony.
"[A] military strike is shorter delay than a deal," said Michael Makovsky, adding that although Israel believes it can push back Iran's nuclear program for at least three years – similarly to the way it used a series bombs to retard Syria’s budding nuclear program – the US wants to push it back even further by using a set of restrictive inspections.
Makovsky, who heads the JINSA Germunder Center Iran Task Force – an organization that advocates for a strong U.S.-Israeli security partnership – also said that further pressure on Iran would lead to a war, which he sees as an alternative to a deal.
The case for military action received support earlier Thursday when President Barack Obama's nominee for the country's top military post, Gen. Joseph Dunford, told a Senate committee that he believes the U.S. has the capability to destroy Iran’s nuclear program.
The U.S. and world leaders want Tehran to cut back its nuclear program by reducing its enrichment of uranium. In return, Iran wants all sanctions lifted as soon as a deal is signed.
Iran hopes for an agreement that will result in the removal of sanctions while the P5+1 - the U.S., Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany - want access to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities, fearing the program could have military applications.
