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  • MARK SCHLACHTENHAUFEN | THE EDMOND SUN U.S. Rep. James Lankford, R-Edmond, briefs local business leaders about events in Washington and elsewhere including the Middle East.

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Discussion

February 21, 2012

Lankford: Iran’s words don’t match its actions

Mark Schlachtenhaufen The Edmond Sun

EDMOND — A covert war is occurring in regards to Iran, which is not behaving like a peaceful nation pursuing a nuclear program, U.S. Rep. James Lankford said.

Lankford made the remarks during Tuesday’s Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Oak Tree Country Club. He briefed local business leaders on escalating tensions in the Middle East, the religious liberty/health care issue, rising gasoline prices and the entitlement outlook.

Lankford’s comments on Iran followed a question from Oklahoma City Peace House Director Nathaniel Batchelder, who recently wrote in an op-ed about the widely published Iran “threat.”

In it, he wrote there is no evidence a nuclear program is under way and that Iran has the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Batchelder asked if Lankford agreed with the assessment that Iran has no program for developing a nuclear weapon.

Lankford sad he does not.

“They are actively working on it,” Lankford said, noting they have sources for getting nuclear power for peaceful uses like medicine. “They refuse to buy it from those and they want to develop their own.”

Iran has enriched uranium from 2 percent to 5 percent, Lankford said. Once they get to 20 percent enriched uranium it is not difficult to get to the level needed to make a nuclear weapon, he said.

“The technology is there now,” Lankford said.

On a day when a common headline concerned a senior Iranian military leader saying a pre-emptive strike against its “enemies” is possible, many are wondering what will happen in the coming weeks and months.

Last week, Iran claimed it now has machines to speed up enrichment of uranium and that it is able to make its own fuel rods.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and other nations have passed a series of sanctions aimed at creating economic pain in an oil-rich country. Financial sanctions were imposed on Iranian banks for helping finance the nation’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and supported terror groups.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Israeli leaders point to statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, such as one in 2005 saying Israel must be “wiped off the map.”

Lankford said he met last year with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who takes threats of a nuclear holocaust seriously.

“It’s a big deal to them. But we better take it rationally,” Lankford said.   

Lankford said the last thing America wants is another war.

“I don’t think anyone wants that,” he said. “I don’t think anyone thinks that’s a good idea. I think the president’s doing a good job to do whatever he can to postpone that.”

But the U.S. is dealing with an irrational power, which is what Iran has become, Lankford said.

“The concern ... not just for us, but for the entire region is they develop nuclear weapons,” he said. “What will they do with that weapon? Not just to Israel, but in threatening Saudi Arabia and threatening their other neighbors.”

If Iran makes a weapon, it likely would cause a Middle East nuclear arms race needed to check its power, Lankford said. The issue has wide ranging implications, he said.

The best thing America can do is to be very aggressive with sanctions, some of which should have been enforced sooner, Lankford said. He mentioned the financial sanctions hampering Iranian commerce.

“I wished we would have done that a year ago,” he said.

War should be a last resort, he said.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Look for more upcoming coverage of U.S. Rep. James Lankford’s comments this week.

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