McCain: U.S. Should "Pull the Trigger" on Iran

(CBS/ AP)  Senator John McCain said the United States has been backing away from a brewing fight with Iran, while that country moves ever closer to having nuclear weapons.

McCain opened a Senate hearing Wednesday by saying that Iran will get the bomb unless the United States acts more boldly.

Speaking figuratively, the Arizona Republican says the U.S. keeps pointing a loaded gun at Iran but failing to "pull the trigger."

Military and intelligence officials testifying before Congress said Iran's accelerated nuclear program could produce one weapon in roughly a year, if the country decided to go that route.

But Gen. James Cartwright predicts it would still take longer than that to make the bomb usable.

Cartwright said that, historically, it takes a country three to five years to make such a leap. Cartwright is the second highest-ranking U.S. military officer.

The timeline he cited Wednesday could be shortened if Iran pursued ways to deliver a weapon at the same time as it worked to build a bomb.

The U.S. government has prepared a new, classified, assessment of Iranian nuclear ability and intent but has not released it yet.

The State Department's No. 3 official said the United States is working as fast as it can to win new international sanctions on Iran.

William Burns predicted that a resolution will emerge from the United Nations Security Council within weeks. And Burns called the case for new penalties urgent, saying he expects China will agree to some form of sanctions.

The U.S. appeared to have gained support from China, a traditional stumbling block on the United Nations Security Council regarding Iran, during a U.S.-hosted summit on nuclear proliferation this week.

Iran has denied it is seeking a nuclear weapon and maintains its ambitions are strictly energy-related. Tehran has also scoffed at U.S. threats to increase pressure. As the Obama administration welcomed nations to the nuclear summit Monday, Iran was busy celebrating "National Nuclear Day," reported CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer from Tehran.

Despite the rhetoric brushing aside the prospect of sanctions, the head of the country's nuclear program, Ali Akbar Salehi, made a candid admission in a rare interview with CBS News.

"Of course sanctions will affect us," said Salehi, who earned his Ph.D. at MIT in Boston."But it only will delay our projects. It will not stop our projects."

"They will hurt," he added. "Then we will have to come up with our own manufacturing systems."

Blog: Iran's Nuke Chief Stuck Between Science and Politics
Full Transcript of the Salehi Interview

Iran already uses homemade technology to enrich uranium in one plant, and recently announced it would build six more.

[msjb1]

take iran out so they can't buy weapons from russia and china and keep people in usa from buying junk made in china and we would be back on top all we need then is to get rid of our crooked government I know we got change coming but they ain't got all the bills collected up so they can give us the change after healthcare cleans us out we will be all set for change

[msjb1]

another war Bull Shi* take iran out destroy every thing that has to do with their oil selling and watch how fast the terrorists go out of business and see how fast the iranian people take over their country from them maniacs that aare running it. let a-g-jad watch things from behind bars for a while they need nukes like a-g-jad needs another poop hole

[flyers7704]

Perpetual war is the Republican military-industrial complex way... The world doesn't need nuclear weapons... I say everyone get rid of them. we should set the example...

[jpires93]

Senator John McCain is right. Israel will intervene if the U.S. does not. If you are awaiting the vote of China, will die waiting. Invent an organization outside the United Nations with all the countries that align and leave out China.

[jpires93]

Senator John McCain is right. Israel will intervene if the U.S. does not. If you are awaiting the vote of China, will die waiting. Invent an organization outside the United Nations with all the countries that align and leave out China.

[sarahds]

This is why we need Ron Paul. I pray Paul can influence Obama's policies and stop all this build up to more wars.

[tooloose2]

McCain's as crazy as a monkey on crack.

[tonyatq]

WHY IS THE GOP SO OBSESSED WITH WAR? OUR MILTARY IS STRETCHED THIN. GOING TO WAR DOES MAKE US LOOK GOOD. YOU REMEMBER THE BOGUS WAR YOU AND BUSH STARTED IN IRAQ.

[bradkt1]

Another war that the Republicans want to get us into?

That should only be as a last resort...not as an option along the way just to show the world that we are "tough."

If this kind of right wing cowboy logic was running our government today, we'd certainly be at war with North Korea by now, too.

That would make four different wars that the Republicans want to get the United States into...and all at the same time.

It just goes to show how totally unnecessary and strategically stupid the war in Iraq actually was. Our military is still tied down there at a time when we might soon need them elsewhere.

[alfredoz1]

So, there you have it. If McCane, deity forbid, was prexy now. We would have nuked Iran by now. You thin that would be really good.