Bush won’t rule out Iran attack
President Bush on Wednesday reiterated the possibility of a military strike to thwart Iran’s presumed nuclear weapons ambitions, though he also repeated that he favored a diplomatic solution.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Bush’s host in two days of meetings at a baroque castle, made clear her views: “I very clearly pin my hopes on diplomatic efforts.”
She joined Bush in urging further sanctions against Iran if it failed to suspend its uranium enrichment, which can produce fuel to generate electricity or material to make bombs.
Tehran maintains that it wants only to generate power, but the West suspects a secret arms program.
Three times Wednesday, the president called a diplomatic solution “my first choice,” implying that there are others.
He said that “we’ll give diplomacy a chance to work,” suggesting that it might not.
He also noted, without even being asked a question about Iran, that “all options are on the table” -- a longtime refrain that neither confirms nor denies an intention to use military force.
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