Bolton: Stop Iran at any price

[TriWooOx]

A former top US diplomat says Washington has to either overthrow the Iranian government or use force to halt Tehran's nuclear program.

John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the UN, said Wednesday the White House and its allies have not done enough to promote alternatives to negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.

Speaking before an audience at the Hay Literary Festival, Bolton claimed the five years of dialogue with Tehran over its nuclear activities have 'failed'.

"Today Iran is five years closer to having a nuclear weapons capability," he said.

The Bush administration accuses Iran of developing military nuclear technology, pressing the UN Security Council to force Iran into halting its uranium enrichment work.

Tehran says as a signatory of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), it has no legal obligation to suspend its enrichment program. The May 26 UN nuclear watchdog report on Iran admitted that there has been no detection of the use of nuclear material in Iranian nuclear facilities.

Bolton, who was a leading hawk in President George W. Bush's administration, said he would prefer 'regime change' in Iran. He, however, added that the United Nations and its allies had not done enough to bring about the required change.

Bolton, who was also Under-Secretary of State under Colin Powell at the time of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, was jeered by protesters shouting 'war criminal' as he left the stage, Reuters reported

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