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BY JESSICA SIBERT
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In an effort to combat the development of nuclear weapons in Iran, President Obama is reaching out to the leaders of Russia and China. Fox News has more.
Steve Centanni: “With Iran threatening to defy the world community, President Obama is in Hawaii trying to win support of the two most stubborn countries when it comes to cracking down on Iran. These countries are Russia and China. After meeting with Russia’s President Medvedev, President Obama had this to say.”
President Obama: “We discussed Iran and reaffirmed our intention to work to shape a common response so that we can move Iran to follow its international obligations when it comes to its nuclear program.”
When Obama called for new sanctions and isolation against Iran earlier this week, Russia and China weren’t on board. In a statement, the Russian foreign ministry said the report was biased.
“[The report is] a compilation of known facts that have been purposely twisted and given a political slant. The authors juggle the facts to create the impression that Iran’s nuclear programme has a military component.”
But one CNN analyst says Obama can’t play a heavy hand if he expects to win their support.
“I think the Obama administration, when it comes to options for coercion, it basically has two options before it. The first is to pursue very strong sanctions or very strong action with a very weak coalition or to pursue relatively milder action and have a more robust, much more robust international coalition. And I think the reality is that Iran is so dependent these days on countries like China and Russia and India and has been so isolated from countries like the United States and Europe that Option 2 is really the best we have.”
The talks come after a U.N. report gave thinly-veiled hints that Iran has a continuing nuclear weapons program. A political analyst for ABC News says if the U.S. wants to keep Iran from getting nukes, going in guns blazing would be a bad move.
“I think almost unanimously the feedback we hear from political agitators of human rights activists in Iran, is U.S. military action, or Israeli military action, would be detrimental to their cause. I think the way we should help the opposition in Iran, is by inhibiting the Iranian regime’s ability to control communications.”
At last nights GOP debate, some of the Republican presidential candidates attacked Obama’s handling of the situation.
Mitt Romney: “Look, one thing you can know, and that is if we re-elect Barack Obama,Iran will have a nuclear weapon. And if we elect Mitt Romney, if you elect me as the next president, they will not have a nuclear weapon.”
Michelle Bachmann: “And if there's anything that we know, President Obama has been more than willing to stand with Occupy Wall Street, but he hasn't been willing to stand with Israel.”
Newt Gingrich: “There are a number of ways to be smart about Iran and relatively few ways to be dumb. And the administration skipped all the ways to be smart!”
The talks between Obama and the Russian and Chinese leaders came as sideline discussion during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hawaii this weekend.
