President Bush elaborated on his recent warning that an Iranian nuclear attack on Israel would trigger World War III.
Bush on Wednesday cited the threatening language from Tehran about Israel.
“The reason I said that is because this is a country that has defied the IAEA [the International Atomic Energy Agency] – in other words, didn’t disclose all their program, have said they want to destroy Israel,” Bush told Germany’s RTL television station. “If you want to see World War III, you know, a way to do that is to attack Israel with a nuclear weapon.
“And so I said, now is the time to move. It wasn’t a prediction nor a desire.”
Bush said he is in no rush to order pre-emptive military action if sanctions fail to curb Iran’s atomic ambitions.
“I’ve committed our troops into harm’s way twice, and it’s not a pleasant experience because I understand the consequences firsthand,” he said. “And so I owe it to the American people to say that I’ve tried to solve this problem diplomatically.”
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