<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>SDEROT, Israel (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Wednesday a nuclear Iran would pose a "grave threat" and that the world must stop Tehran from obtaining an atomic weapon. Obama told reporters during a visit to Israel that if elected, he would take "no options off the table" in dealing with the Iran issue and said tougher sanctions could be imposed. "A nuclear Iran would pose a grave threat and the world must prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," Obama told reporters after visiting the Israeli town of Sderot, which lies close to the border with the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. He said the international community should immediately offer "big sticks and big carrots" to persuade Iran to halt its nuclear program. The West suspects Iran wants to build atom bombs but the Islamic Republic says its aims are peaceful. "Iranians need to understand that whether it's the Bush administration or the Obama administration, this is a paramount concern to the United States," he said in Sderot, which has been hit by cross-border rockets fired by Gaza-based militants. Israel says Iran provides funds and weapons to Hamas. "I think there are opportunities for us to mobilize a much more serious regime of sanctions on Iran, but also to offer them the possibility of improved relations to the international community if they stand down on these nuclear weapons."</div> Link
Well thats a bold statement from Obama considering today the Iranian President said this: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday vowed that Iran would not yield in the crisis over its nuclear drive but the White House warned again that it risks more sanctions if it fails to freeze sensitive nuclear work. "The Iranian people are steadfast and will not step back an inch against the oppressive powers," Ahmadinejad told a rally in the southwestern province of Kohgelouyeh-Boyerahmad. His defiant comments come after world powers warned Iran has only a fortnight to respond to their latest offer seeking to end a five-year crisis that has raised fears of regional conflict and sent oil prices spiralling. The White House said it was still hopeful Tehran would suspend its controversial nuclear activities, otherwise more international sanctions would follow. "We hope the Iranians will provide a positive answer," national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. But "if they do not, the international community is united that more sanctions are coming."</div> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Hopes of a breakthrough rose in recent weeks after Ali Akbar Velayati, the top foreign policy advisor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said it would be in Iran's interests to accept the package. Ahmadinejad, who has already dismissed Velayati's comments as personal, reaffirmed that he was in charge of Iran's nuclear case. "They (world powers) thought the nation was divided, that the people and the president had been sidelined in the nuclear case and that they would be able to impose their views. "But I told them they were mistaken to celebrate and their feast would soon turn into a funeral."</div> Link
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Israel says Iran provides funds and weapons to Hamas.</div> I love how Reuters consistently misrepresents matters when it suits them. It's not just Israel that 'says' Iran provides funds and weapons to Hamas, it's every credible intelligence agency in the region, including those of the US. At least we can always count on Ahmadinejad to speak his mind.
