Obama: Iran cannot be permitted to be nuke power

AP: President Barack Obama says he is "not reconciled" to the idea of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon within a year.

The Associated Press

By JENNIFER LOVEN

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he is "not reconciled" to the idea of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon within a year.

The president told The Associated Press in an interview that U.S. government planning is running in precisely the opposite direction. He said a nuclear-armed Iran would likely trigger an arms race in the already volatile Mideast and said that would be "a recipie for potential disaster."

Obama also said Thursday that opposing a nuclear weapons capacity for the Persian Gulf nation isn't simply "a U.S. position." He said "the biggest concern is not simply that Iran can threaten us or our allies, like Israel or its neighbors."

The president said that Iran must not be a nuclear power, although he conceded that the challenge ahead is formidable.