Israeli PM Reportedly Says Nuclear Iran Unacceptable, Hints At Military Strike

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is stoking speculation that Israel would use military force to keep Iran’s nuclear ambitions in check.

A participant at a closed parliamentary meeting reports that Olmert said all options are on the table to keep Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The Israeli leader was quoted as saying the Jewish state will not accept Iran with nuclear arms.

Israel is on edge over Iran’s nuclear program and the country’s suspected ties to anti-Israel militant groups. Also inflaming tensions is the Iranian president’s call for Israel to be “wiped off the map.”

Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and a recent U.S. intelligence report concludes the Islamic country suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

There has been speculation that Israel might mount a pre-emptive strike at Iran, similar to its 1981 attack on an Iraqi nuclear reactor.