“Iran was a threat, Iran is a threat and Iran will be threat to world peace if the international community does not come together and prevent that nation from the development of the know-how to build a nuclear weapon,” said Bush, challenging a US intelligence report released in December which found Tehran had abandoned a clandestine atomic weapons programme.
“A country that once had a secret programme can easily restart a secret programme. A country which can enrich (uranium) for civilian purposes can easily transfer that knowledge to a military programme,” said Bush.
The US president was speaking at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, after the two men held more than two hours of talks in Jerusalem at the beginning of Bush’s visit to the Middle East.
Widely considered the Middle East’s sole if undeclared nuclear power, Israel regards Iran as its main foe after repeated calls by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for it to be wiped off the map.
“A country which has made statements that it has made about our friend Israel is a country that needs to be taken seriously, and the international community must understand with clarity the threat that Iran provides to world peace,” added Bush.
“We will continue to work with European countries, Russia and China as well as nations in this neighbourhood to make it abundantly clear the threat that Iran poses to world peace.”
