Dagan: World has time on Iranian nuke program

Former Mossad chief calls the Iranian regime "very rational" in interview with CBS.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Meir Dagan on CBS 390 (photo credit: Screenshot)
Meir Dagan on CBS 390
(photo credit: Screenshot)
Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan said in an interview on CBS News' 60 Minutes that there is yet "more time" on the Iranian nuclear program, and that the international community should not rush into a military option. "An attack on Iran before you are exploring all other approaches is not the right way how to do it," he said.
Dagan sparked controversy last year when he stated that an Israeli airstrike on Iran's nuclear reactors would be "a silly idea that would not grant any advantage." He continued that "Whoever attacks Iran must understand that he may start a regional war in which  missiles from Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon will be fired. The Iranian problem must be made an international problem and we must continue to act to delay the development of Iran's nuclear capabilities," Dagan said.
In his interview with CBS, Dagan called the Iranian regime "very rational", later qualifying that statement by saying that the Tehran-based regime's version of rationality is "not exactly  rational based on what I call Western thinking... but no doubt they are considering all the implications of their actions," he said.
When pressed by CBS interviewer Leslie Stahl about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Dagan stated that he, too, is rational.
The full CBS interview will be aired on Sunday, March 11.