Outreach to moderates in Iran

“Gates: U.S. Not Ready to Talk About Containing a Nuclear Iran

Though Iran could have enough nuclear bomb-making material as early as next year, the top U.S. defense official said Sunday that the Obama administration is not prepared "to even talk about containing a nuclear Iran."

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that all options are still on the table if Iran were to go nuclear, but he thinks there is still "some time to continue working this problem," conceivably  through the use of economic sanctions.

"I don't think we're prepared to even talk about containing a nuclear Iran. I think we're -- we -- our view still is we -- we do not accept the idea of Iran having nuclear weapons. And our policies and our efforts are all aimed at preventing that from happening," he said.

Gates said "targeted economic pressures" has "real potential" to add difficulties to the Islamic Republic, whose government is growing increasingly isolated.

Sanctions, he said, along with helping U.S. allies in the Gulf area improve their defenses and improve their military capabilities could get the government in Tehran "finally to come to their senses and realize their security is probably more endangered by going forward than by stopping."”