Alireza Jafarzadeh interview with Fox News: How to Prevent Iran from Getting the Bomb

Fox News
Heartland with John Kasich

October 2, 2004

How to Prevent Iran from Getting the Bomb

President George Bush: We have made it clear; our position is that [Iran] won’t have a nuclear weapon.

John Kasich: Welcome back to Heartland. Should the world allow Iran to develop a nuclear technology? Last week the Islamic country defied the international community by saying it would resume its nuclear work, but to produce energy not bombs as US claims. Now what should we do about it? With us now from Washington: Fox News foreign affairs analyst, Alireza Jafarzadeh formerly with the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

John Kasich: Sir, first of all, how close is Iran to having the capability to actually make a bomb?

Alireza Jafarzadeh: John, it’s good to be with you. Iran is very close to having the capability to get the bomb. There are different accounts. There was a report from Iran that the supreme leader Khamene’i has ordered to speed up the process so Iran would be able to get the capability by mid-next year. That’s mid 2005.

John Kasich: So, Alireza what you are saying is that you think it’s possible by the middle of next year that Iran could have a nuclear weapon?

Alireza Jafarzadeh: They are on the road to getting that; certainly it is possible. They have all the means to do it. They have a very sophisticated uranium enrichment program in Natanz and other places, they have already started going through the plutonium way.

John Kasich: So what can we do about preventing them from getting this bomb? I mean look, we got the United Nations, their committee that goes out and inspects, the IAEA, they have punted; it doesn’t look like Europe is putting a shoulder to the wheel. What the heck are we going to do here?

Alireza Jafarzadeh: Well I think even for the UN path to work, the United States must definitely emphasize in referring Iran’s file to the UN Security Council, but that has to be coupled with effective, tangible political pressure. I think the United States has to turn nuclear weapons program of Iran --which is an asset for the Ayatollahs now-- into a liability. And you do that by…

John Kasich: Yeah that might be little politics now, let me tell you, Israel has just bought 5,000 bunker buster bombs, now you don’t think Israel is just going to sit back and let Iran have a nuclear weapon? Do you? I mean we can talk about political pressure and everything, but I don’t see it coming. So what are we going to do about this? What is Israel going to do about this?

Alireza Jafarzadeh: Well I think what I mean by political pressure I’m not just talking about rhetoric or making political statements. I am talking about striking at the Achilles heel of the Ayatollahs which is reaching out to the Iranian dissidents who are already working for regime change, we aught to pursue the policy of regime change.

John Kasich: Do you think regime change is possible?

Alireza Jafarzadeh: Oh, certainly. There is tremendous opposition inside Iran against the ayatollahs by the Iranian population; there is an organized force outside the country. Unfortunately, so far, the international community has not been helping in terms of regime change. To the country, they have been searching for moderates they have been trying to improve relations with Iran, improving trade and everything.

I think that has to change because we can’t follow that path of providing Iran the opportunity that within a year or so, getting the bomb.

John Kasich: Now, Alireza we have to go but the problem is this, Israel, 5,000 bunker busters maybe a couple of Moab’s --those big bombs-- I don’t think they‘re going to sit back, the Iranian have not just threatened Israel but they’ve threatened us. We’ve got to get these countries behind us, we cannot fool around with this; this is deadly serious. We’re going to stay on the story and we’ll have you back. Thanks for being with us.

Alireza Jafarzadeh: Thank you, John.

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