Republicans ask Obama to stand firm against Iran's nuclear ambitions

Branding Iran as the "chief state sponsor of terrorism", over 50 Republican Congressmen have asked US President Barack Obama to sternly enforce existing sanctions against Tehran and make all efforts to avert its suspected plans to develop a nuclear weapon.

"Mr President, we are increasingly anxious that the world is running out of time to stop the Iranian regime - the chief state sponsor of terrorism in the world - from achieving the ability to threaten the world with its nuclear weapons," they said in a letter to Obama.

"The IAEA reports and dissident accounts of secret (Iranian) nuclear facilities, together with the Iranian regime's mocking defiance of the international community, indicate that we may have only weeks and months, rather than years, to stop this crisis from reaching its fearsome denouement," the Congressmen said.

In the letter, they alleged that the Iranian regime has allied itself with organisations that support the destruction of Israel.

"The United States needs to stand strong with our allies around the world in holding the Iranian regime accountable for its nuclear weapons capability," said Congressman Tom Price after releasing the letter.

"President (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad has used his time on the world stage to promote instability in the Middle East and thwart legitimate international efforts to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of those who have called for the destruction of an entire nation and people," he said.

Price called on the President to heed the effort and advice of many in Congress who understand that America must play the role of an unequivocal leader in stopping the Iranian regime from building nuclear weapons.

In the letter, the Congressman alleged that Iran is aggressively pursuing dual-use nuclear capability aimed at developing nuclear weapons.

"Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found Iran has produced enough low-enriched uranium at its main facility at Natanz to produce two nuclear weapons with further processing. This represents a 15 per cent increase in Iran's nuclear stockpile in only three months," they wrote.

Iran has also crossed a critical threshold in the development of ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads, the Congressmen said, adding that the IAEA reports that Iranian authorities have refused to answer questions about "the development of a nuclear payload for a missile."

"Iran's secret nuclear facilities and its concealment of weaponisation efforts are clear signals that it has no intention of recognising the IAEA or respecting the international community's opposition to its possession of nuclear weapons.

"Moreover, Iranian leaders have repeatedly stated their aim to destroy Israel in terms that cannot be misunderstood," the Congressmen said.