'Retain military options against Iran'

“After the West has for years allowed the wool to be pulled over its eyes, Iran cannot take us seriously,” Bundestag deputy says.

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT
The German Bundestag in Berlin 311 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch)
The German Bundestag in Berlin 311 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch)
BERLIN – A military option should remain on the table to force Iran to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, the Christian Democratic Union’s foreign policy spokesman in the Bundestag told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
“After the West has for years allowed the wool to be pulled over its eyes, Iran cannot take us seriously,” Philipp Missfelder, one of Germany’s strongest advocates for the security of the Jewish state and a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, told the Post. “The military option arises from the rising crisis situation. If Iran does not give in, a military attack will be more likely.”
“We should not take away any option from the table, including the military option,” Missfelder, 32, told Berlin daily BZ over the weekend.
He now shares the positions of British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal, both of whom advocate maintaining the military option as a fall back if Iran does not suspend its nuclear enrichment program.
Click here for full Jpost coverage of the Iranian threat
Click here for full Jpost coverage of the Iranian threat
Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister, rejects military engagement in Iran, a country with which Germany has longstanding financial and political ties.
Trade between the countries totals roughly 4 billion euros a year. Westerwelle represents the pro-business Free Democrats and many of the party supporters have business activities in Iran.
“The oil embargo must be implemented in a forceful manner. We must also consider how we can further isolate Iran in the world of finance,” Missfelder told the Post.