President Obama: Iran 'A Year or So Away' From Developing Nuclear Weapon; Will Visit Israel Next Week

By

President Barack Obama said Thursday that the U.S. remains committed to doing everything in its power to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, even as he contends the Islamic Republic is about a year away from developing it, he said in an exclusive interview on Israeli TV. Obama is due to arrive in the Jewish State next Wednesday, telling Israel's Channel 2 TV that he still prefers diplomacy over force, citing that a nuclear Iran remains a "red line," and all options remain on the table to stop it.

"Right now, we think it would take over a year or so for Iran to actually develop a nuclear weapon, but obviously we don't want to cut it too close," he said.

"So when I'm consulting with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] as I have over the last several years on this issue, my message to him will be the same as before: 'If we can resolve it diplomatically that is a more lasting solution. But if not I continue to keep all options on the table.'"

Israel and the U.S., stalwart allies have never seen completely eye-to-eye when it comes to the Iran nuclear issue. Israel has indicated it must act militarily if it sees an imminent threat to its existence. The U.S. has long pushed for more diplomacy and economic sanctions to run their course.

Then Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta differed with Netanyahu's assessment, saying the situation is not so dire imminent: "When they make the decision to go ahead and build a nuclear weapon," said Panetta, "that, for us, is a red line."

Iran's repeated denials of the Holocaust, calls for Israel's destruction and development missiles capable of striking the Jewish State, as well as funding terror organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah are seen as examples of how a nuclear Iran poses a threat to its existence. "Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful and designed to produce energy and medical isotopes, a claim that Israel and many Western countries reject," CBS News reported.

Obama arrives in Israel this Wednesday for a three-day visit.

Tags
President Obama, Israel, U.S. Foreign Policy

© 2025 Lawyer Herald All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Discussion
More News
Jeffrey Epstein Donald Trump

Trump Pushes MAGA Theory on Epstein Files But It Backfires: 'Then What's Stopping You From Releasing Everything?'

Trump

Democratic Lawmaker Demands 'the Evidence About Trump' Following Pam Bondi's Plans to Release of Epstein Case Transcripts

Bondi Trump Epstein

Trump Admin is 'Ready' to 'Unseal' Another Trove of Epstein Documents, Pam Bondi Declares Following Bombshell Report

Trump vs Newsom_06092025_1

Gavin Newsom Calls Out Trump for Insisting He Never Drew a 'Picture in My Life' in Rebuke of Bombshell Epstein Report