Secretary of defense Chuck Hagel said he does not know if current administration policy toward Iran will prevent the regime from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“I don’t know if all of these efforts that we’re applying in dealing with Iran—one being the international economic sanctions—will in fact change their attitude about what we think is their objective, moving toward a nuclear weapon” Hagel told reporters at an air base in Southwest Asia. “I don’t know if what we’re doing will shift their thoughts or their approach.” Nonetheless, the defense secretary argued that we have both time and the international community on our side and that up to this point, sanctions have been effective.
The Washington Post reported last month that, though Iran is now subject to the toughest sanctions in its history, experts say it has thus far managed to resist the pressure “through a combination of clever tactics, political repression and old-fashioned stubbornness.”
Nuclear talks earlier this month broke up without progress on the issue.