Obama: There'll be a price to pay for premature Iran action

There will be consequences for both US and Israel for such a move, the US president says, shoots down notion Washington will make a decision on an attack in coming weeks or months.

By REUTERS
US President Barack Obama at press conference 390 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS/Larry Downing)
US President Barack Obama at press conference 390 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS/Larry Downing)
US President Barack Obama warned Tuesday that there would be consequences for both Israel and the United States if any action is taken prematurely on Iran, warning there would be a price to pay. It is important, he said, to take a "careful, sober and thoughtful approach" on the Iranian nuclear issue.
The US president also pushed back against suggestions that Washington was on the cusp of making a decision about possible military action against Iran, pledging to take a 'sober' approach to dealing with Iran's nuclear program.
Amid mounting speculation that Israel could attack Iran's nuclear sites in coming months, Obama said that American politicians 'beating the drums of war' had a responsibility to explain the costs and benefits of military action.
He said the notion that the United States needed to make a choice in coming weeks or months was "not borne out by facts."
Obama also discussed the role of diplomacy, saying he would not a breakthrough in the first meeting with Iran's negotiators, but that it would be possible to sense how serious they are in those talks.
Tehran, he said, must use talks to show the world it is not seeking a nuclear weapon.