Christian Leaders Urge President Obama to Take Immediate and Decisive Action to Stop Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program
by Staff
September 24, 2010
WASHINGTON, (christiansunite.com) -- A coalition of evangelical and Christian leaders today called on President Obama to take immediate, decisive action to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear-weapon, warning that recent developments suggest the U.S. and its allies are running out of time.Christian Leaders for a Nuclear Free Iran released the following statement:
As Christian leaders who desire peace and security not only for people in the Middle East but also people all over the world, we are gravely concerned at the prospect of Iran, the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world, obtaining nuclear weapons.
We have supported peaceful and diplomatic efforts to avert this crisis. We strongly supported the passage of additional economic sanctions against Iran by the United States, European Union, and the United Nations. But Iran continues to mock the international community's opposition to its nuclear programs.
Time is running out. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports Iran is systematically denying inspectors access to key nuclear facilities and refusing to answer questions about its accelerated enrichment of uranium. According to the IAEA, Iran has already processed enough uranium at its main facility in Natanz for two nuclear weapons and is actively pursuing advanced ballistic missile technology enabling it to deliver a nuclear warhead.
Iranian duplicity is nothing new. A year ago Western intelligence agencies discovered a secret nuclear facility at Qum located inside a military base operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Iran failed to disclose its existence to the international community, a clear violation of its obligations. There are now reports that Iran may have built yet another secret nuclear facility near Qazvin, 120 miles west of Tehran.
It is clear that Iran, whose president Mahmour Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust and has vowed to wipe Israel off the map, intends to produce nuclear weapons. The acceleration of its uranium enrichment and advanced military applications suggest we are in the eleventh hour.
This week Ahmadinejad is in the U.S. to address the United Nations General Assembly. We can expect him yet again to mock the civilized world's efforts to prevent his regime from obtaining nuclear weapons, a development that will destabilize the region, threaten the United States and our allies, and begin a nuclear arms race in the most dangerous part of the world.
Therefore, we call on President Obama to act immediately and decisively on this gravely serious matter. We call on him to:
Clearly lay out the case against Iran's reckless actions, publicly correct President Ahmadinejad's lies and dissembling and ensure that senior administration officials do everything to ensure that the American public is well-informed about the direct dangers that Iran's nuclear weapons program presents to U.S. security and the world.
Strictly and fully enforce all sanctions against the Iranian regime, including preventing the foreign subsidiaries of U.S. corporations from doing business with Iran, and ensure our allies to do the same.
Ensure that all member nations of the United Nations strictly enforce sanctions against Iran and make clear than non-compliance is unacceptable to the United States as well as a violation of international law.
The Iranian regime is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, it has brutally repressed internal democratic opposition, it persecutes women and religious minorities, and it openly advocates the destruction of Israel. President Obama must lead the nation and the world against this grave threat to peace.
Christian Leaders for a Nuclear-Free Iran, an ad hoc coalition of evangelical, Roman Catholic and other faith leaders who have come together as a united voice that is reaching out to policy makers and opinion leaders calling for urgent action to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The coalition argues that Iran's nuclear weapons program will destabilize the Middle East, lead to an arms race in a volatile part of the world, and threaten the United States and its allies in Europe.
