US President Barack Obama declared that
Iranian intransigence over its nuclear program would result in consequences, in
his first State of Union address Wednesday night.
“They will face growing
consequences. That is a promise,” he stressed, saying that the “Islamic Republic
is more isolated” because of its continued enrichment of uranium in defiance of
international demands.
Obama did not elaborate on what
those consequences would consist of or how they would be deliver.
He also rebuked North
Korea for its nuclear program and pressed the
world to reduce nuclear weapons, calling them the greatest threat to the
American people.
Iran and North Korea were two of the only
foreign countries singled out by Obama in a speech that ran over an hour and
focused almost entirely on domestic issues.
He spoke of the need to prevail
against terrorism and in Afghanistan, and vowed to continue bringing home
American troops from Iraq.
“This war is ending - all our
troops are coming home,” he said.
Obama, however, made no reference to the Arab-Israeli
conflict or the quest for Middle East peace. Instead, he primarily focused on the economy,
job creation and health care, often defending his policies and taking both
parties to task for not making tough choices and playing
politics.