(JTA) — U.S. presidential candidate Rick Perry said he would back an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facitilies.
Perry said Thursday that, as president, he would support an attack if there were proof Tehran was moving closer to a nuclear weapon, Reuters reported.
"Obviously, we are going to support Israel," the Texas governor said in an interview with CNN. "And I’ve said that we will support Israel in every way that we can, whether it’s economic sanctions, whether it’s overt or covert operations, up to and including military action."
"We cannot afford to allow that madman in Iran to get his hands on a nuclear weapon, period," he added.
Perry, who has been slipping in the polls of late, made his comments on the same day that President Barack Obama called for "unprecedented pressure" to compel Iran to meet its international obligations. A report due next week from the International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to provide further details about Iran’s nuclear program.
