The United States is concerned about Iran's nuclear intentions, not
the weapons systems it develops, a senior U.S. official said on Monday,
referring to several recent unveilings by the Islamic Republic of
self-made advanced military equipment.
Earlier Monday, Iranian state media reported that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps inaugurated production lines for two high-speed vessels, the Seraj and Zolfaqar, which are to be armed with missiles and torpedoes.
The unveiling came only a day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad personally announced the development of the country's first domestically made drone, the Karar, which has range of 1,000 kilometers and is armed.
Speaking on Monday to MSNBC, U.S. State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said that, while Iran's developing military capabilities were of concern to the United States, its sights were set on "Iran's intentions."
"I don't think that any one weapon system is going to tip a balance one way or the other, but certainly Iran sees itself as a regional power," Crowley said.
"And as they acquire more capability, that will be of concern to the United States and other states in the Gulf, and we will respond appropriately. But obviously, of greatest concern to us are Iran's nuclear ambitions."
Crowley said that Washington continually assesses "Iran's nuclear capability," saying the Islamic Republic was experiencing "some trouble with the technology, but this trajectory that they're currently on is of concern to us."
"We've made clear that Iran having a nuclear capability would set off an arms race within the region," Crowley said, adding that such a turn of events would not be "helpful to us; that's not helpful to the region."
"We want to do everything we can to forestall that. We also think that one step to help stabilize the region is to end the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. These things are connected," the State Department spokesman said.
When asked whether or not he believed Israel would strike Iran in response to its recent weapons' unveiling, the State Department spokesman said that "every country, including Israel, will act in its own self-interest and to defend itself."
"We're trying to put pressure on Iran to clarify its nuclear programs and to be a more constructive player in the region," Crowley said, adding that the United States had attempted to ward off Iran's military threat by working "closely with Israel and other countries in the region - build up their defensive capabilities to offset Iran's growing influence."
"We're prepared to engage this regime. We hope to have conversations with Iran perhaps next month to try to clarify its nuclear ambitions," he said, adding that dialogue with Iran would take place within the context of what we call the P5 plus 1."
"We also want to see Iran more
constructively engage the IAEA so that we understand more fully what its
nuclear plans are," Crowley said.
Source: Haaretz.com
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