A NUCLEAR IRAN

Iran nuclear arms worst threat to security: Gates

(AFP) –

CHICAGO — Iran's nuclear ambitions are the greatest current threat to global security, according to US Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

"Iran is the one that concerns me the most because there don't seem to be good options (or a scenario) where one can have any optimism that good options will be found," Gates told the Economic Club of Chicago.

The threat rests not only in Iran's apparent determination to seek a nuclear weapon, but in the "inability of the international community to affect their determination to do that," Gates said.

"All of the outcomes are negative," he said. "If they achieve one, the possibility of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East is very, very real.

"If something is done to prevent them from getting one, the consequences of that are completely unpredictable and frankly, very bad."

Gates says he has struggled to convince other nations, particularly Russia, that the Iranian situation does not simply threaten the United States.

"Iran's going to have the capability to deliver nuclear weapons to the people in their region a lot sooner than they're going to have the capability to deliver them to us," he added.

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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday there are no "good options" to deter Iran's nuclear ambitions, AFP reports. "If something is done to prevent them from getting one, the consequences of that are completely unpredictable and frankly, very bad," Gates said in a speech to the Economic Club of Chicago.

Gates also criticized the "inability of the international community to affect [Iran's] determination," referring to his struggle in convincing other nations, particularly Russia, that the Iran situation does not only threaten the U.S.

"Iran's going to have the capability to deliver nuclear weapons to the people in their region a lot sooner than they're going to have the capability to deliver them to us," he said.