EXCLUSIVE to CNN
Dempsey: Iran Shouldn't "Miscalculate Our Resolve"
December 20th, 2011, 02:41 PM ET
By Barbara Starr reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Pam Benson and Charley Keyes contributing from Washington
As General Martin Dempsey toured around the globe over the last eight days, one issue was prominent - Iran's nuclear intentions.
Dempsey, in an exclusive interview with CNN, warned that Iran is playing a dangerous game that could ensnare the Middle East, the United States and others into conflict and a renewed nuclear arms race. From Iraq to Afghanistan, Kuwait to Saudi Arabia, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff heard about growing concerns about Iran's ambitions.
"My biggest worry is they will miscalculate our resolve," Dempsey said in an interview conducted during a stop in Saudi Arabia. "Any miscalculation could mean that we are drawn into conflict, and that would be a tragedy for the region and the world."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Watch Barbara Starr's exclusive interview with Chairman Martin Dempsey today on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer (4-6pm ET)
Comments
Listen to the drumbeats of war---a la' Iraq and WMD-words have meanings attached to them we just sometimes do not hear them. If war--oil analysts have stated oil will go to over 170 to 200 USD per barrel and we thought the oil stoppage in 73 was bad.
While we discuss just how bad it is that a country outside of Isreal in the ME obtains nuclear weapons we ignor the fact that Isreal has them already. We argue when it is mentioned with the comment "well they have to defend themselves as everyone wants to destroy them".
The idea of mutual self destruction kept the US and the Soviet Union balanced with each other---I have seen no actions on the part of the Iranian leadership that they want to destroy their own society--sometimes I wonder if it is all about national pride and fear of Isreal.
Based on the actions of the US in support of the Shah and the US support of the Iraqi's during the eight year war with Iran I wonder if their current leaders think that we really do want to throw them out.
I once was interrogating an IED cell leader and asked him if his group would stop bombing us if we completely pulled out of Iraq---he took time to respond--then he responded---yes we would stop shooting/bombing, but the US will not leave Iraq as that is what you do and that was in 2005.
The general's comments are interesting, especially as the 120 nation "international community" that comprises NAM and the 61 nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation have both come out publicly in support of Iran's nuclear energy rights, which include the nuclear fuel cycle (enrichment). What to make of this?
What's more, the Iranians are predictable in their steadfastness with regards to their nuclear rights as outlined in the NPT, so it would be surprising to see any sort of delineation from them. The real wild card is the U.S. and to a lessor extent Israel: will there be a repeat of the non existent WMD justification of war against Iraq, this time applied to the nuclear issue against Iran?