Hassan Rouhani
(President)
"We will increase our military power as a deterrent. We will strengthen our missile capabilities. "
Radio Free Europe - September 2017
[Related:Iranian Missile Arsenal]
"Iran will ask no soul’s permission to build missiles. "
Times of Israel - April 2017
[Related:Iranian Missile Arsenal]
"Certain governments are created based on terrorism and see their survival in light of terrorism and its clear instance is the fake Zionist regime in the Palestinian territories. The (Israeli) government and regime basically started its job based on intimidation, terrorism and occupation and today it is continuing the same anti-human path. "
Fars News - August 2015
[Related: Diplomacy; Exporting Terrorism]
"We will purchase weapons from wherever we deem necessary and we are not waiting for anyone's permission; if we deem necessary we will sell our weapons and we will do this without paying attention to any resolution."
Fars News - August 2015
[Related: Iranian Missile Arsenal; Exporting Terrorism]
"Illegal sanctions violate the rights of the great Iranian nation. Of course we bypass the sanctions, and we take pride in it, because we consider them illegal."
Young Journalists Club Iran - September 2014
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; Sanctions]
"We suspended the program? We completed the technology. When I say 'we,' I don't mean me, I mean our nuclear scientists."
IRIB TV - May 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; Diplomacy]
More...
"Iran has nothing to hide. However, in order to proceed towards settling the Iranian nuclear file, we need to reach national consensus and rapprochement and understanding on an international level. This can only happen through dialogue."
Al-Sharq Al-Awsat - June 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; Nuclear Negotiations]
"When some [the United States and Israel] say that all options are on the table and when a miserable regional country [Israel] says such things, it makes you laugh ... Who are the Zionists to threaten us?"
The Telegraph - July 2013
[Related: Military Option; Diplomacy]
"In its nuclear program, this government enters with full power and has complete authority ... [Iran has repeatedly pledged] under no circumstances would we seek any weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, nor will we ever."
NBC News - September 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program]
"To us, mastering the atomic fuel cycle and generating nuclear power is as much about diversifying our energy resources as it is about who Iranians are as a nation, our demand for dignity and respect and our consequent place in the world. Without comprehending the role of identity, many issues we all face will remain unresolved."
Washington Post - September 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program]
"In these [nuclear] talks all the rights of Iran, including nuclear and enrichment rights on our own territory should be accepted within the framework of international law."
Jerusalem Post - September 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program]
"In regards to nuclear issue, with political will, there is a way to rapidly solve the matter."
New York Times - September 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; Nuclear Negotiations]
"Any resolution which seeks to bind us to suspension [of uranium enrichment] is unacceptable and we will not accept such an obligation."
Jomhouri-ye Eslami - September 2004
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; Diplomacy]
"We will go ahead with confidence-building and will endeavor to build up our [nuclear] technical capability to restore our national rights in the context of the international conventions. This is our diplomacy: to proceed both directions simultaneously."
Sharq - September 2004
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; Diplomacy]
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
(Former President)
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is a member of the IAEA and is committed to the NPT. All our nuclear activities are transparent, peaceful and under the watchful eyes of IAEA inspectors. Why then are there objections to our legally recognized rights? Which governments object to these rights? Governments that themselves benefit from nuclear energy and the fuel cycle. Some of them have abused nuclear technology for non-peaceful ends including the production of nuclear bombs, and some even have a bleak record of using them against humanity."
Speech to UN General Assembly - September 2006
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program; Is It Peaceful?]
More...
"If you try, whether in your propaganda or at international organizations, to take steps against the rights of the Iranian nation, the Iranian nation will consider it an act of hostility ... Thanks to the grace of God and resistance, we are on the final stage of the path to the nuclear peak. Not more than one step is left to be taken. By the end of the year, we will organize a celebration across the country to mark the stabilization of our nuclear rights."
FARS News Agency - December 2006
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program]
"The bylaw of the agency explicitly states that all member states have the right to the peaceful nuclear fuel technology ... We want to have the right to peaceful nuclear energy ... Our nuclear program, first and foremost, operates within the framework of law [and is] completely peaceful ... We do not believe in nuclear weapons, period. It goes against the whole grain of humanity."
Speech at Columbia University - September 2007
[Related: Is It Peaceful?; Iranian Missile Arsenal]
"In whichever negotiation we take part ... it is unequivocally with the view to the realization of Iran's nuclear right and the Iranian nation would not retreat one iota from its rights."
Reuters - August 2008
[Related: Negotiations]
"The world should know that [Iran] stands up to bullying and will put the bullies in their place. You cannot make Iran back down an inch from its course as it is now a nuclear state."
Associated PresS - January 2011
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program]
"If Iran wants to build an atomic weapon, it doesn’t fear anyone and will publicly announce it and no one will be able to prevent it. It’s just that I don’t want to."
Christian Science Monitor - June 2012
[Related: Iran Nuclear Threat]
"The Iranian people are ready to march on Israel to destroy it if it launches an attack adventure against Iran. The Zionists hope to attack Iran but they are afraid of the Iranian reaction and the consequences of such an attack. Our forces can deter any aggressor and make them pay."
United Press International - February 2013
[Related: In Their Own Words; Military Option]
Ali Khamenei
(Supreme Leader)
“Movement toward negotiation with the cheating, lying and oppressive regime (of Israel) is a big, unforgivable mistake that will push back the victory of the people of Palestine.”
Reuters- April 2018
[Related: Negotiations]
“There is no doubt that we will witness the demise of the Zionist entity.”
Jerusalem Post- June 2017
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
“The holy land will be liberated thanks to the resistance and striving of Palestinian groups... We tell them (the Zionists) that you will basically not witness the 25 years from now, and by God’s grace, nothing called the Zionist regime will exist in the region (by then).”
Tasnim- December 2016
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
“In order to secure our population, our country and our future we have to increase our offensive capabilities as well as our defensive capabilities.”
Reuters- August 2016
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
“Those who say the future is in negotiations, not in missiles, are either ignorant or traitors.”
Reuters- March 2016
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
“God willing, there will not be something named the Zionist regime in the next 25 years.”
Business Insider- September 2015
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
“Iran's regional policy is the opposite of America's... Iran supports the resistance in the region, including the Palestinian resistance, and we will support anyone who struggles against Israel and strikes at the Zionist regime. Iran's chief policy is a struggle against America's policy.”
MEMRI- September 2015
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
“We must combat the plans of the arrogance [i.e. the West, led by the U.S.] with jihad for the sake of Allah. Jihad for the sake of God does not only mean military conflict, but also means cultural, economic, and political struggle... The planning for the struggle against them should include both defense and offense. The power-hungry order led by the United States of America is the perfectly clear embodiment of 'the concept of the enemy.' America has no human morality. It carries out evil crimes under the guise of flowery statements and smiles... The U.S. has aspired for decades to infiltrate the region and regain its lost reputation. The Americans wish to infiltrate Iran with the [JCPOA] agreement, whose fate in Iran and in the U.S. is still unknown. But we have decisively blocked this path, and we will do anything to keep them from infiltrating Iran economically, politically, and culturally.”
MEMRI- September 2015
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
“Israel will grow less safe day by day, whether there is a nuclear deal or not. Bear this in mind that Israel will never be secure, with or without a nuclear deal.”
JCPA- August 2015
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
“We have strengthened and we will continue to strengthen the fists of our Palestinian brothers in Gaza and elsewhere. As I have declared, the West Bank must be armed and prepared for defense just like Gaza is.”
JCPA- August 2015
[Related: Exporting Terror]
“The slogans of the Iranian nation on Al-Qods Day show what its position is. The slogans ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America’ have resounded throughout the country, and are not limited to Tehran and the other large cities. The entire country is under the umbrella of this great movement.”
JCPA- August 2015
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program]
“In their understanding of the deal, of which its fate is not clear since it is not clear if will be approved here or there, their intention was to find a way to penetrate into the country. We blocked the way. We will strongly block this way. We will not allow either economic penetration or political and cultural penetration into the country by the U.S.”
Yahoo News- August 2015
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program]
“We will never yield to pressure. We will not accept unreasonable demands. Iran will not give acess to it's nuclear scientists. We will not allow the privacy of our nuclear scientists or any other important issue to be violated”
Reuters - May 2015
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program]
More...
“The fake Zionist regime has tried to realize its goals by means of infanticide, homicide, violence & iron fist while boasts about it blatantly... the only means of bringing Israeli crimes to an end is the elimination of this regime... The West Bank should be armed just like Gaza. Friends of Palestine should do their best to arm People in West Bank”
Times of Israel - November 2014
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program]
“Contrary to their foolish aims, the Zionist regime and its supporters are very close to collapse and total extinction.”
Jerusalem Post - October 2014
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program]
“Israel will grow less safe day by day, whether there is a nuclear deal or not. Bear this in mind that Israel will never be secure, with or without a nuclear deal.”
JCPA- August 2014
[Related: Nuclear Negotiations]
"Should the Iranian nation beg for the right of exploitation of nuclear energy from the bullying world powers until they accept that the nation has a nuclear right? No. This is not the way of a free and independent nation. ... Rights cannot be achieved by entreating. If you supplicate, withdraw and show flexibility, arrogant powers will make their threat more serious."
Houston Chronicle - June 2007
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program]
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has made its own decision and in the nuclear case, God willing, with patience and power, will continue its path ... Arrogant powers and the U.S. are putting their utmost pressure on Iran while knowing Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons"
Associated Press - August 2006
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program]
"If they want to threaten us and use force and violence against us, they should not doubt that Iranian officials will use all they have in their power to deal a blow to those who assault them"
Reuters - March 2007
[Related: Military Option]
"From now on, in any place, if any nation or any group confronts the Zionist regime, we will endorse and we will help. We have no fear expressing this."
The Telegraph - February 2012
[Related: Exporting Terrorism]
"The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the use of nuclear, chemical and similar weapons as a great and unforgivable sin ... This does not mean forgoing our right to peaceful use of nuclear power and production of nuclear fuel. On the basis of international laws, peaceful use of nuclear energy is a right of every country."
CBS News - August 2012
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program]
"Threatening Iran and attacking Iran will harm America ... Sanctions will not have any impact on our determination to continue our nuclear course ... In response to threats of oil embargo and war, we have our own threats to impose at the right time."
Reuters - February 2012
[Related: Sanctions]
"Americans say all options are on the table even the option of military strike (against Iran)… Any military strike is ten times more harmful for America. Such threats show that they have no sufficient discourse against Iran’s logic and discourse."
InfoWars - February 2012
[Related: Military Option]
"Sanctions are aimed at making Iran back down, but Iran will not back down. These sanctions are aimed at dealing a blow to us, but in fact, they are of benefit to us ... Why should we compromise with the U.S.? They should just leave us alone."
Washington Post - February 2012
[Related: Sanctions; Negotiations]
"I'm not a diplomat, I'm a revolutionary, and speak frankly and directly, you Americans have pointed guns toward Iran, but at the same time you want to negotiate. The Iranian nation will not be intimidated by these actions ... Negotiations with threats and without good intentions have no meaning."
Washington Post - February 2013
[Related: Negotiations]
Other Iranian Leaders
IRGC Airspace Head, Amirali Hajizadeh
"Iran's third underground factory has been built by the Guards in recent years ... We will continue to further develop our missile capabilities forcefully."
Reuters - May 2017
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Mohammad Hossein Baqeri
"All military tests and war games will continue to be held according to the schedule and will not be suspended or delayed under any circumstances."
Tasnim News - September 2016
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
Commander of the Iranian Army, Ataollah Salehi
"Israel only barks, no matter how much weapons are given to [it], we are going to destroy them, we will promise this task will be done."
Fars News - September 2015
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
Head of the Iranian “Assembly of Experts,” Mohammad Yazdi
"The US and Israel are the source of the situation in the region and (their) goal is to protect the Zionist regime in the Middle East. We should not change our foreign policy of opposition to America, our No. 1 enemy, whose crimes are uncountable. The U.S. will take this dream of coming to the market of Iran and getting the income it used to make before the revolution to its grave."
New York Times - September 2015
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
Parliament Speaker's Adviser for International Affairs Hossein Sheikholeslam
"Our positions against the usurper Zionist regime have not changed at all; Israel should be annihilated and this is our ultimate slogan."
Fars News - August 2015
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
Revolutionary Guard Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari
"After over 20 years of engagement in civilian projects, the Revolutionary Guards Corps has enough experience in and we will continue our projects."
New York Times - September 2015
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program]
"The enemy has now resorted to using soft political and economic power. The answer to these kinds of threats after the deal could be for the government of the Islamic Republic to adopt a revolutionary and clearer stance."
New York Times - September 2015
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
"We shall proceed with the jihad, resistance and martyrdom until Jerusalem is liberated and the Zionist regime, that stigma among Islamic peoples, is erased. The Commander said the way of jihad is full of risks, and to achieve the objectives of the Islamic Revolution, we must wholeheartedly follow the path of jihad, making every possible effort."
JCPA- August 2015
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
"We have put a number of options for ourselves, and those options are ready, including options that would involve resuming at a much greater speed our nuclear activities"
CBS News- March 2017
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program]
"Iran is fully prepared to return to the pre-JCPOA situation or even [to conditions] more robust than that if the US reneges on its promises."
PressTV- March 2017
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program]
"It [Israel] should be annihilated. This regime is a threat... Israel threatens to use force against Iran almost on a daily basis."
JCPA- August 2015
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
Past Revolutionary Guard Commander Qasem Soleimani
"Indeed, [it takes a missile] no more than seven minutes to reach Tel Aviv. At the Leader’s command, it will be destroyed."
JCPA- August 2015
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program]
Commander of the Basij Paramilitary Force Mohammad Reza Naqdi
"Certain naive people believe that talks with the U.S. are important and will be useful. We have been in talks with the 5+1 for over 10 years now. If these talks had yielded any results, we might have been able to expect the same from talks with the US ... [The U.S.] want to defeat the 'fight against Arrogance' that Iran is leading ... When the Americans have displayed the most hostile behavior toward Iranians in the past ... They announce openly that they want to hold talks with Iran."
Tasnim News - February 2013
[Related: Nuclear Negotiations]
"The people of Iran cried “Death to Bakhtiar, and he is in history’s dustbin; they cried “Death to Saddam,” and we all saw how Saddam ended up. They cried “Death to the USSR,” and now it is gone.”
The will of the Iranian people brought down the 2,500-year-long monarchy. So now Iranian people, through solidarity, cry “Death to America and Israel. If the Iranian people wished to surrender, they would have done so when Israel could stand up to all Middle Eastern states, not now, when it is as weak as a mouse, at the hands of the resistance fighters of Palestine and Lebanon.”
JCPA- August 2015
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
Revolutionary Guard Founder Mohsen Rafighdoost
“The countdown to the annihilation of Israel has begun. The Zionist regime that frightened all the Arab states is no more. Now, we wish to be in the front line of the fight for liberating Jerusalem. I expect the annihilation of Israel to be soon enough, and America can do no harm in the region either.”
JCPA- August 2015
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
Revolutionary Guards Deputy Commander Hussein Salami
“We monitor their acts day and night and will take every opportunity to set fire to all their economic and political interests if they do a wrong deed. Today the US knows that the slightest move against the Islamic Iran will ruin its house of dream... we welcome war with the US as we do believe that it will be the scene for our success to display the real potentials of our power.”
Fars News- September 2015
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
"Our response will not be a diplomatic one. It will be in the field, and we certainly will not say it in words, but in actions, so the enemy can see, realize and feel. We see the helplessness of the Zionist regime’s officials, who realize that these are the very last years or months of their lives."
JCPA - August 2014
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
"Once we arm the West Bank, the Zionist regime will be wiped out automatically. We will send them every weapon system and any support the enemy may think of, and we will do it openly."
JCPA - August 2014
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
"No single point in the Zionist regime’s land is safe; the people of Palestine shall hold their peace no longer. The Zionist regime has erected hundreds of kilometers of long high concrete walls around the areas it controls, since the entry of a single Palestinian or Lebanese youth can be a nightmarish and destructive threat to their national security."
JCPA - July 2014
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan
"The brave struggle of the Palestinian warriors against the Zionist invaders, and the courageous resistance of the people of Gaza to the most massive air raids and missile and artillery firing by the Zionist child-killers, forced the Zionist to retreat."
JCPA - September 2014
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
General Yahya Rahim Safavi
"We should be targeting the Zionist regime in its territory as well as the entire region. Reinforcing the jihadi groups, especially in the West Bank, the population of which is twice that of Gaza, particularly arming these groups, demonstrating solidarity and unity of all Islamic states and peoples, to support the people of Palestine politically, economically and media-wise, are effective measures to the end of liberating Palestine."
JCPA - September 2014
[Related: The Iranian Threat]
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast
"We will offer ways for removing possible concerns and ambiguities to show our goodwill, if Western countries, especially the U.S., fully recognize the nuclear rights of countries, which shows their goodwill ... Same-level, same-weight [actions, will lead to an] understanding point."
ABC News - February 2013
[Related: Nuclear Negotiations]
Former Supreme Leader Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini
"We do not worship Iran, we worship Allah ... I say, let this land [Iran] burn. I say let this land go up in smoke, provided Islam emerges triumphant."
Jerusalem Post - February 2007
[Related: Nuclear Negotiations; Would Iran Use the Bomb?]
Barack Obama
(President)
"Every pathway to a nuclear weapon is cut off, and the inspection and transparency regime necessary to verify that objective will be put in place. Because of this deal, Iran will not produce the highly enriched uranium and weapons-grade plutonium that form the raw materials necessary for a nuclear bomb. Today's announcement marks one more chapter in our pursuit of a safer, more helpful and more hopeful world."
Roll Call - July 2015
[Related: Iranian Nuclear Program; Military Option; Negotiations]
"Time and again, [Iran] has failed to take the opportunity to demonstrate that its nuclear program is peaceful, and to meet its obligations to the United Nations ... America wants to resolve this issue through diplomacy .. We respect the right of nations to access peaceful nuclear power, but one of the purposes of the United Nations is to see that we harness that power for peace. And make no mistake, a nuclear-armed Iran is not a challenge that can be contained ... And that's why the United States will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."
White House - September 2012
[Related: Iranian Nuclear Program; Military Option; Negotiations]
More...
"When faced with a regime that threatens global security and denies the Holocaust and threatens to destroy Israel, the United States will do everything in our power to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon."
White House - April 2012
[Related: Exporting Terrorism; Military Option]
"The Iranian regime ... says it stand for the rights of protesters abroad, yet represses its own people at home. Let's remember that the first peaceful protests in the region were in the streets of Tehran, where the government brutalized women and men, and threw innocent people into jail. We still hear the chants echo from the rooftops of Tehran. The image of a young woman dying in the streets is still seared in our memory. And we will continue to insist that the Iranian people deserve their universal rights, and a government that does not smother their aspirations."
White House - May 2011
[Related: Human Rights in Iran]
"It is profoundly in the United States' interest to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. We do not want to see a nuclear arms race in one of the most volatile regions in the world. We do not want the possibility of a nuclear weapon falling into the hands of terrorists. And we do not want a regime that has been a state sponsor of terrorism being able to feel that it can act even more aggressively or with impunity as a consequence of its nuclear power. That's why we have worked so diligently to set up the most crippling sanctions ever with respect to Iran."
White House - March 2012
[Related: Iranian Nuclear Program; Sanctions]
"The leaders of Iran must recognize that now is the time for a diplomatic solution, because a coalition stands united in demanding that they meet their obligations. And we will do what is necessary to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon."
State of the Union Address - February 2013
[Related: Nuclear Negotiations; Military Option]
"I have been crystal clear about my position Iran possessing a nuclear weapon - that is a red line for us ... that would be dangerous for the world, dangerous for U.S. national security interests. What I have also said is that there is a window, not an infinite period of time, but a window of time, where we can resolve this diplomatically and that it is in all of our interests ... if we can resolve this diplomatically ... We think that it would take over a year or so for Iran to actually develop a nuclear weapon, but obviously we don't want to cut it too close."
ITV Channel 2 - March 2013
[Related:U.S. Sanctions; Iran's Nuclear Program; Military Option vs. Iran]
"[The United States and Israel] agree that a nuclear-armed Iran would be a threat to the region, a threat to the world, and potentially an existential threat to Israel. And we agree on our goal. We do not have a policy of containment when it comes to a nuclear Iran. Our policy is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. We prefer to resolve this diplomatically, and there's still time to do so. Iran's leaders must understand, however, that they have to meet their international obligations. And, meanwhile, the international community will continue to increase the pressure on the Iranian government. The United States will continue to consult closely with Israel on next steps. And I will repeat: All options are on the table. We will do what is necessary to prevent Iran from getting the world's worst weapons ... I think there is time to resolve this issue diplomatically. The question is, will Iranian leadership seize that opportunity? Will they walk through that door? And it would be in everybody's interests ... it would be in the interest of the Iranian people if this gets resolved diplomatically."
ITV Channel 2 - March 2013
[Related:U.S. Sanctions; Iran's Nuclear Program; Military Option vs. Iran]
"And I think what the Iranians understand is that the nuclear issue is a far larger issue for us than the chemical weapons issue, that the threat against Israel that a nuclear Iran poses, is much closer to our core interests, that a nuclear arms race in the region is something that would be profoundly destabilizing. And so my suspicion is that the Iranians recognize they shouldn't draw a lesson that we haven't struck [Syria] to think we won't strike Iran."
ABC News - September 2013
[Related:U.S. Sanctions; Iran's Nuclear Program; Military Option vs. Iran]
"I do believe that if we can resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear program, that can serve as a major step down a long road towards a different relationship, one based on mutual interests and mutual respect ... I've made it clear ... that America prefers to resolve our concerns over Iran's nuclear program peacefully, although we are determined to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. We are not seeking regime change and we respect the right of the Iranian people to access peaceful nuclear energy ... The world has seen Iran evade its responsibilities in the past and has an abiding interest in making sure that Iran meets its obligations in the future."
United Nations - September 2013
[Related:U.S. Sanctions; Iran's Nuclear Program; Military Option vs. Iran]
Joe Biden
(Vice President)
"Iran's dangerous nuclear weapons program and its continued support of terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas not only endanger Israel but endanger the world ... We have a united international community behind unprecedented sanctions. We have left Iran more isolated than ever ... It is no longer on the ascendency. The purpose of this pressure is not to punish. It is to convince Iran to make good on its international obligations. Put simply, we are sharpening a choice that the Iranian leadership has to make: They can meet their obligations and give the international community ironclad confidence in the peaceful nature of their program, or they can continue down the path they're on to further isolate and mounting pressure of the world."
Speech at AIPAC Policy Conference - March 2013
[Related: Sanctions & Diplomacy; Military Option]
Chuck Hagel
(Secretary of Defense)
"I am fully committed to the president's goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. And as I have been on record on that issue and as I said in the past many times, all options must be on the table to achieve that goal. My policy has always been the same as the president's, one of prevention, not of containment ... I've always said that Iran must not get weapons of mass destruction. I've always said it's a sponsor of terrorism. And I've always said the military option should remain on the table to assure that Iran does not get nuclear weapons."
Hearing Before Armed Services Committee - February 2013
[Related: U.S. Sanctions; Iran & Terrorism; Military Option]
John Kerry
(Secretary of State)
"We will do what we must do to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and I repeat here today, our policy is not containment. It is prevention, and the clock is ticking on our efforts to secure responsible compliance ... Iranians need to understand that there's no other agenda here. If their program is peaceful, they can prove it. And that's what we are seeking."
CNN - January 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; Negotiations; US Sanctions on Iran]
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"It's important for the world to have credibility with respect to our nonproliferation efforts. Just as it's impermissible for North Korea to pursue this kind of reckless effort, so we have said it's impermissible with respect to Iran. What our response is with respect to this will have an impact on all other nonproliferation efforts ... If you are going to say things, they have to mean something. And to mean something you have to be prepared to follow up, and that's exactly what we are prepared to do."
FOX News - February 2013
[Related: Nuclear Proliferation; Military Option]
"We are not going to get trapped into a delay-after-delay process here. It is incumbent on the Iranians to prove that they are prepared to meet our willingness, President Obama's willingness, again and again stated by the president, to be open to a diplomatic resolution here."
Washington Post - February 2013
[Related: Nuclear Negotiations]
"The window for a diplomatic solution simply cannot by definition remain open forever. But it is open today. It is open now ... There is still time but there is only time if Iran makes the decision to come to the table and negotiate in good faith."
Jerusalem Post - February 2013
[Related: Nuclear Negotiations]
"No option is off the table. No option will be taken off the table ... [the United States] will continue to seek a diplomatic solution. But our eyes are open, and we understand that the clock is moving. And no one will allow the diplomatic process to stand in the way of whatever choices need to be made to protect the world from yet another nuclear weapon in the wrong hands ... [President Obama] is serious - we will stand with Israel against this threat and with the rest of the world, who have underscored that all we are looking for is Iran to live up to its international obligations. You have friends in this administration, in Congress, and in America."
Jerusalem Post - April 2013
[Related: Nuclear Negotiations; Military Option]
General Martin Demosey
(Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)
"Iran is a threat to US national security in many ways, not simply their move towards the potential to develop a nuclear weapon ... which should be of concern to all of us and is. We have been very clear as a nation that we are determined to prevent them from acquiring a nuclear weapon because it would be so destabilising to the region. But they are also active in cyber. Theyve got surrogates all over the region and all over the world. They proliferate arms. They are a disruptive influence globally. And so I do consider them a threat to our national security."
Congressional Hearing - June 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; Iranian Threat; Nuclear Proliferation]
General James Mattis
(Commander of U.S. Central Command)
"Iran remains the single-most significant regional threat to stability and prosperity ... [the Iranian government's] Reckless behavior and bellicose rhetoric characterize a leadership that cannot win the affection of its own people or the respect of any responsible nation in the region ... Despite significant economic sanctions and increased diplomatic isolation within the global community, Iran continues to export instability and violence across the region and beyond."
Hearing Before Senate Armed Services Committee - March 2013
[Related: Military Option; Nuclear Negotiations; U.S. Sanctions]
Hillary Clinton
(Former Secretary of State)
"If Iran has a nuclear weapon ... they will be in the market within hours. And that is going to create a cascade of difficult challenges for us and for Israel and for all of our friends and partners ... It is not only about Iran and about Iran's intentions, however one tries to discern them, it's about the arms race that would take place in the region with such unforeseen consequences."
CBS News - June 2012
[Related: Exporting Terrorism; Nuclear Proliferation]
More...
"[The USA] remains focused on relaunching talks. The international community can help but it is up to the parties to do the work ... Iran's leaders still have the opportunity to make the right decision. The choice is ultimately Iran's ... [but] we will use all elements of American power to prevent Iran developing a nuclear weapon."
BBC News - July 2012
[Related: Negotiations]
Susan Rice
(Former UN Ambassador)
"We urge the [UN Security Council] to renew its focus on Iran's prohibited ballistic missile programs. In July, officials from Iran's Revolutionary Guard corps tested ballistic missiles capable of traveling 1,300 kilometers. Although such tests are in clear violation of paragraph 9 of resolution 1929, the Council and the Committee have not yet taken effective action to respond to this blatant noncompliance.."
US Mission to the UN - September 2012
[Related: Iran Missile Arsenal; United Nations Sanctions]
Benjamin Netanyahu
(Prime Minister)
"Iran is going to receive a sure path to nuclear weapons. Many of the restrictions that were supposed to prevent it from getting there will be lifted."
The Washington Post - July 2015
[Related: Exporting Terrorism]
"We've been witnessing over the last two years, an Iranian-sponsored global campaign, along with its sidekick, Hezbollah, to launch terror attacks ... I think it's important for the entire international community to stop this wave of terror ... Just imagine what the consequence would be if these people and if this regime got a hold of nuclear weapons. I think the most important message that I could give is stop-- expose the terrorists, stop the terrorists, and make sure that the world's most dangerous regime doesn't get the world's most dangerous weapons."
CBS "Face the Nation" - July 2012
[Related: Exporting Terrorism]
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"President Obama said Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, that he said that containment is not an option, and that Israel must have the capacity to defend itself, by itself against any threat. Well, these are obviously principles that I agree with and I think that the - it's in our common interest to make sure that Iran doesn't get nuclear weapons."
Fox News Sunday - July 2012
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program; Sanctions; Military Option]
"The Iranian nuclear program has not slowed down by one millimeter. Despite all the pressures that were applied to it. Nothing. We certainly would prefer that all these economic sanctions produce a result ... [Sanctions] doesn't stop their nuclear program in any way. It actually allows them to continue their nuclear program ... There should be three clear demands: One, stop all enrichment high and low. Second, remove all material that has been enriched from Iran. Third, dismantle, the underground nuclear bunker in Qom."
Bild (Germany) - June 2012
[Related: Sanctions]
"For nearly a decade, the international community has tried to stop the Iranian nuclear program with diplomacy. That hasn't worked. Iran uses diplomatic negotiations as a means to buy time to advance its nuclear program ... There is only one way to peacefully prevent Iran from getting atomic bombs. That's by placing a clear red line on Iran's nuclear weapons program. Red lines don't lead to war; red lines prevent war. In fact, it's the failure to place red lines that has often invited aggression."
Speech to UN General Assembly - September 2012
[Related: Sanctions; Red Lines; Military Option]
"Our over-arching goal is to stop the nuclearization of Iran. This mission is becoming more complex because Iran is obtaining more advanced centrifuges that shorten the enrichment time. We must not accept this with resignation ... The paramount mission of the next government that I form will be to stop Iran from arming itself with nuclear weapons."
Speech on Election Victory - February 2013
[Related: Iran Nuclear Threat]
"The external challenges that [Israel] face begin with Iran ... It's nuclear weapons program continues unabated ... What they're doing is to shorten the time that it will take them to cross that [red] line ... Iran is putting itself in a position to cross the red line and have enough material to produce one nuclear bomb's worth of highly enriched uranium. This has to be stopped, for the interest of peace and security, for the interest of the entire world. How do you stop it? Well, you have to put greater pressure on them. You have to upgrade the sanctions. And they have to know that if the sanctions and diplomacy fails, they will face incredible military threat. That's essential. Nothing else will do the job."
Speech at Conference of Presidents - February 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; International Diplomacy; Military Option]
"My view is that in order to stop Iran's nuclear programs peacefully, diplomacy and sanctions must be augmented by a clear and credible threat of military action ... Iran is a grave threat to Israel, a grave threat to the world - a nuclear Iran. The United States is committed to deal with it. Israel is committed to deal with it. We have different vulnerabilities, obviously, and different capabilities. We take that into account. But what we do maintain -- and the President I think is the first to do so -- is that Israel has a right to independently defend itself against any threat, including the Iranian threat."
Press Conference with President Obama - March 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; International Diplomacy; Military Option]
"We cannot allow Iran to play this game. We cannot let Iran ride out the clock through endless talks. Iran must comply with UN Security Council resolutions. We cannot accept anything less than a total cessation of all enrichment of nuclear materials at all levels, the removal from Iran of all enriched nuclear material, and the closure of Iran's illicit nuclear facilities. And until Iran meets these demands, the pressure must be stepped up. The Iranian nuclear weapons program must be stopped, period."
Press Conference with Canadian FM John Baird - June 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; International Diplomacy; Military Option]
"[Iran] hasn't yet reached [the red line] but they're getting closer to it. And they have to be stopped ... They have to stop their nuclear program. They have to stop all enrichment of nuclear material, to take out enriched uranium and shut down the illegal nuclear facility in Qom. These are the right demands and those should be backed up with ratcheted sanctions ... If sanctions don't work then they have to know that you'll be prepared to take military action ... As the Prime Minister of Israel, I'm determined to whatever is necessary to defend my country, the one and only Jewish state, from a regime that threatens us with renewed annihilation."
CBS Face the Nation - July 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; International Diplomacy; Military Option]
"I know Rouhani does not sound like Ahmadinejad. But when it comes to Iran's nuclear weapons program, the only difference between them is this: Ahmadinejad was a wolf in wolf's clothing and Rouhani is a wolf in sheep's clothing a wolf who thinks he can pull the wool over the eyes of the international community ... Iran is not building a peaceful nuclear program. Iran is developing nuclear weapons ... the only way to peacefully prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons is to combine tough sanctions with a credible military threat. And that policy is today bearing fruit ... Iran's fanaticism is not bluster. It's real. This fanatic regime must never be allowed to arm itself with nuclear weapons."
United Nations - October 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; International Diplomacy; Military Option]
Ehud Barak
(Former Defense Minister)
"A nuclear Iran is a threat to the entire world order. It will lead to a nuclear arms race in the region; countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the new Egypt will not be able to fall behind. It will also start a stopwatch for the leakage of nuclear knowledge or technology, [with it eventually] finding its way into the hands of terror elements. With nuclear power, if it is achieved, Iranian hegemony will become a reality, leading to the intimidation of its neighbors, deepening Iran's involvement in both regional and global terror."
Speech at National Defense College - July 2012
[Related: Nuclear Proliferation; Iran's Hegemonic Ambitions]
Shimon Peres
(President)
"The greatest threat to world peace is the present leadership of Iran and its policies. The Iranian people are not our enemies, and no-one is threatening the existence of Iran. There is no reason in the world that Iran should have a leadership which threatens the existence of other countries, which promotes terrorism and which develops nuclear weapons."
US Independence Day Reception - July 2012
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program; Exporting Terrorism]
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"We see the way [the Iranian government] want[s] to construct an empire - by terror, by sending money, sending arms, hanging, bluffing. We cannot support it. The world cannot support a nuclear Iran ...I am not aware of anybody that threatens Iran, that wants to oppress Iran or govern Iran or reduce Iran, nothing whatsoever ... Who is against Iran? ... Clearly we are more sensitive than others because when nobody threatens Iran, Iran threatens us. We are the only country which is being threatened to be destroyed by them."
Brookings Institution - June 2012
[Related: Exporting Terrorism; Iran Nuclear Threat]
"The Iranian people are not our enemy but the policies of the Iranian government are hovering as a dark shadow over the world. The leaders of Iran say that religion forbids the building of nuclear weapons, but those acting in their name are building just such a weapon. The leaders of Iran deny the Holocaust and at the same time threaten a new Holocaust. There is no place for complacency. Indifference to horror is the greatest horror of all."
Meeting with German President Joachim Gauck - May 2012
[Related: Iran Nuclear Program; Military Option]
"My own impression is that the sanctions did more than was expected, but not yet enough to achieve the goal ... [Iran's nuclear program] should be stopped, preferably economically and politically but without any compromise. The goal must be achieved."
Press Conference with EU President Jose Barroso - March 2013
[Related: Iran's Nuclear Program; Diplomacy & Sanctions]
Benny Gantz
(IDF Chief of Staff)
"If Iran goes nuclear it will have negative dimensions for the world, for the region ... Either Iran takes its nuclear program to a civilian footing only or the world, perhaps we too, will have to do something. We're closer to the end of the discussions than the middle ... The military option is the last chronologically but the first in terms of its credibility. If it's not credible it has no meaning. We are preparing for it in a credible manner. That's my job, as a military man."
Haaretz - April 2012
[Related: Military Option; Threat Assessments]
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"Recently, we've heard threats from near and far enemies to 'wipe out' the State of Israel from the map of the Middle East. In all these, I can say that the IDF is ready for any scenario. We will reach any place, anytime, and defend this nation."
Jerusalem Post - September 2012
[Related: Military Option]
Ban Ki-moon
(Secretary General, United Nations)
"We should not give much more time to the Iranians, and we should not waste time. We have seen what happened with the DPRK - It ended up that they [were] secretly, quietly, without any obligations, without any pressure, making progress ... [The Security Council] must show a firm, decisive and effective, quick response [to Iran]."
Washington Post - February 2013
[Related: International Sanctions; Nuclear Negotiations]
François Hollande
(President, France)
"The Iranian nuclear programme, which has no credible civilian purpose, constitutes a threat to all countries in the region ... France's position is clear: it would be unacceptable for Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. And that country must comply with its international obligations under the NPT as well as the resolutions adopted by the Security Council and the IAEA. The path of dialogue remains open because our goal is to achieve a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, but until Iran answers all the outstanding questions and complies with international law, France has a responsibility to further strengthen the sanctions against the Tehran regime."
20th French Ambassadors' Conference - August 2012
[Related: Iran Nuclear Threat; IAEA & Iran; Negotiations; Sanctions]
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"[Nuclear Iran] is a threat that cannot be accepted by France ... [France] is ready to vote for other sanctions, as many as necessary. We must make sure that through pressure, sanctions and later through negotiations, Iran renounces its intention to have access to nuclear weapons. I am working in that spirit."
Haaretz - October 2012
[Related: Sanctions; Negotiations]
"France's position is that we should strengthen the economic sanctions against Iran, they are effective, they are working and we have no doubt that if Iran continues to develop nuclear weapons, the international community, not Israel, will bear the responsibility to stop it! Iran is not just a danger to Israel but a danger to the Gulf Region, to Europe and to the whole world."
Algemeiner - March 2013
[Related: Sanctions & Diplomacy; Military Option]
Silvio Berlusconi
(Prime Minister, Italy)
"The entire international community must decide to state clearly, unequivocally and unanimously that it is unacceptable that nuclear weapons should be in the hands of a state whose leaders have openly proclaimed the will to destroy Israel and have denied both the Holocaust and the legitimacy of the Jewish state ... The right way [to address the Iranian nuclear program] is multi-lateral supervision on the military developments the Iranian program may produce, and the demand of assurances from Tehran's government as well as to demand that the IAEA conducts regular visits to the facilities and an ongoing supervision of nuclear talks."
Speech to Knesset - February 2010
[Related: Negotiations; Red Lines; IAEA & Iran]
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"Iran is not guaranteeing a peaceful production of nuclear power [so] the members of the G-8 are worried and believe absolutely that Israel will probably react preemptively."
Haaretz - July 2010
[Related: Military Option; Is it Peaceful?]
Angela Merkel
(Chancellor, Germany)
"It is not acceptable how Iran continues to talk about Israel. It is a disappointment that there has been no change as far as the recognition of Israel goes."
Reuters - August 2014
[Related: Iran Nuclear Threat; Negotiations; Iran & the World]
"Iran is not just a threat to Israel but for the whole world. I want a political solution and think we should act together internationally, and I believe that the room for a political solution has not been exhausted."
Reuters - September 2012
[Related: Iran Nuclear Threat; Negotiations; Iran & the World]
Vladimir Putin
(President, Russia)
"Look at what happened to the Americans in Afghanistan and in Iraq. I told Obama the same thing. There is no need to do things too quickly; one should not act without thinking first. Iraq has a pro-Iranian regime after everything that has happened there. These things should be thought out ahead of time before doing something one will regret later. One should not act prematurely."
YNET News - June 2012
[Related: Military Option; International Red Lines]
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"[Russia is] not interested in Iran becoming a nuclear power, it would lead to greater risks to international stability."
Bloomberg News - February 2012
[Related: Nuclear Proliferation]
Helle Thorning-Schmidt
(Prime Minister, Denmark)
"I hope that not only Denmark but the rest of European member states are ready to step up these sanctions [against Iran] ... It is important that we are very clear about where we stand as a Union, and that we are very clear that we will not look upon threats in a passive way."
Euro News - January 2012
[Related: Sanctions - European Union; Threat from Iran]
William Hague
(Foreign Secretary, United Kingdom)
"Clearly Iran has been involved, increasingly, in illegal and potentially terrorist activity in other parts of the world ... Iran has increased in its willingness to contemplate utterly illegal activities in other parts of the world. This is part of the danger that Iran is currently presenting to the peace of the world."
BBC - February 2012
[Related: Exporting Terrorism; Threat from Iran]
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"The EU has today increased the pressure on Iran through another substantial package of sanctions. These are a direct response to Iran's continued refusal to take concrete steps to address our concerns about its nuclear programme ... [Iran] is enriching uranium on a scale that has no plausible civilian justification and increasing its enrichment capacity at a heavily protected site that it originally sought to keep secret."
The Guardian - October 2012
[Related: Sanctions; Is It Peaceful?]
"Iran needs to change direction. We want a negotiated solution and have extended the hand of reconciliation to Iran time and time again ... We are prepared to have further talks but only if Iran is prepared to engage in serious negotiations about its nuclear programme without preconditions. If not we must continue to increase the pressure and we are considering with our partners a range of additional measures to that effect."
International Business Times - November 2011
[Related: Negotiations; Sanctions]
Jack Straw
(Member of Parliament, United Kingdom)
"That the West retains the choice of using military force to stop Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon ... is a hindrance to negotiations, rather than a help ... I have never been complacent about a nuclear-armed Iran ... [but] a nuclear-armed Iran would certainly not be worth a war ... War is not an option."
The Telegraph - February 2013
[Related: Military Option; Nuclear Negotiations]
James Morris
(Member of Parliament, United Kingdom)
"A negotiated settlement would be preferable, but it is still unclear what the end-game is, and whether or not the Iranians are interested in one. As such, it is vital that we continue to pressure the Iranian regime through tough and sustained sanctions - and leave the possibility of a military option firmly on the table. The Iranian regime must be under no illusions about our determination and resolve in preventing them from achieving their objective of developing a nuclear weapons capability."
The Telegraph - March 2013
[Related: Military Option; Nuclear Negotiations]
Catherine Ashton
(Foreign Policy Chief, European Union)
"[The EU needs a] serious set of discussions that can lead to concrete results ... My ambition is that we come away [from negotiations with Iran] with the beginning of the end of the nuclear weapons programme. I hope we'll see the beginnings of success."
Reuters - May 2012
[Related: Negotiations]
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"The choice [to negotiate] is Iran's. We expect Iran to decide whether it is willing to make diplomacy work ... We have begun to tackle critical issues [but] it remains clear that there are significant gaps between the substance of the two positions."
Haaretz - June 2012
[Related: Negotiations]
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