Iran’s pursuit of N-weapons futile exercise: Hillary

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday warned Iran that any pursuit of a nuclear weapons program is “futile,” and said the United States is doing everything in its power to ensure that Tehran does not acquire an atomic bomb.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday warned Iran that any pursuit of a nuclear weapons program is “futile,” and said the United States is doing everything in its power to ensure that Tehran does not acquire an atomic bomb.

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“"Your pursuit is futile” Clinton said on the NBC television's “Meet the Press”.

“What we want to do is to send a message to whoever is making these decisions, that if you are pursuing nuclear weapons for the purpose of intimidating, of projecting your power, we're not going to let that happen.”

Clinton had been asked whether the United States was considering a nuclear umbrella for its Gulf allies, an idea which she raised last week at an Asian security conference — and which stirred fears in Israel that Washington would accept a nuclear armed Iran.

“We are not talking in specifics... because that would come later, if at all,” she said. “My view is, you hope for the best and you plan for the worst.”

The former first lady and opponent of Barack Obama for the Democratic Party's nomination for president last year stressed that “it is unacceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons,” adding that “I think it's clear that we're trying to affect the internal calculus of the Iranian leadership.”