United Against Nuclear Iran, a bipartisan organization focused on the dangers posed by the Islamic state’s nuclear weapons program, wants to know where America’s presidential candidates stand.
The high-profile organization submitted 17 questions to President Obama and each of the Republican candidates on Friday. They touch on subjects ranging from whether to classify Iran as a wartime enemy, to how to convince China and Russia to take part in punitive sanctions against the country.
Candidates are also asked to sign a pledge stating they would “take all necessary action through diplomacy, sanctions, covert action and if necessary the military” to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear-armed state.
“UANI is hoping to provide voters with a clear and unambiguous understanding of the candidates’ positions on the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran, and how they would act if elected president,” Nathan Carleton, the organization’s spokesman, told The Daily Caller. “With one exception, all of the candidates have at various times spoke about this danger, and we are now asking them to fully commit to doing whatever it takes if elected president to stop Iran’s nuclear pursuit.”
“We are also asking them to state their position on various sanctions that the Obama administration has yet to implement, such as sanctioning Iran’s Central Bank and requiring companies to fully disclose their Iran business,” he continued.
The nature of Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program, and what the U.S. should do to incapacitate it, may become hot-button issues as the 2012 presidential campaign moves forward. The liberal opinion website ThinkProgress, for example, recently accused aides to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney of agitating for war against the Islamic state.
Founded in 2008 by the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, former CIA director James Woolsey, Middle East expert Dennis Ross and Ambassador Mike Wallace, UANI aims “to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons,” according to its website.