Panetta says US military option against Iran is 'available'

On Friday, a senior United States official said that Iran's demand that the world recognize it 'right' to enrich uranium has emerged as a major sticking point in the P 5+1 talks.

Speaking after two days of discussions between Iran and six world powers aimed at trying to defuse fears of a covert Iranian effort to develop nuclear bombs, the official added that looming additional sanctions were likely to raise pressure on Iran to seek an agreement ahead of a further round of talks in mid-June.

"These were difficult talks ... obviously we were far apart (at the start)," said the official, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject.

The official said a "significant difference" at the meeting was Iran's insistence that its right to enrich be recognized.

"Obviously (that) was not something we were prepared to do," the official said, echoing the US view that Iran does not automatically have this right under international law because, it argues, Iran is in violation of its obligations under counter-proliferation safeguards.

Continuing the Michael Jackson worldwide victory tour, the next round of talks is scheduled for June 18-19 in Moscow, giving Iran another month to continue its enrichment activities unimpeded.

On ABC's This Week on Sunday, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta described a US military option against Iran as being 'available.'

Let's go to the videotape. Panetta's comments on Iran start at the 14:21 mark and end at the 15:41 mark.



Note that he did not answer the question of whether Iran is trying to run out the clock (clearly they are), nor did he answer whether the once a month negotiations are enough.