Defense Secretary Robert Gates strongly hinted on Sunday that Iran may be concealing other nuclear facilities in the country, beyond the uranium enrichment facility disclosed Friday by President Barack Obama and other leaders at the G-20 Summit.
This Week host George Stephanopoulos asked Gates if the newly discovered site is “the only secret site that we know of.”
After a pause, Gates said, “I’m not going to get into that. I would just say that we are watching closely.”
Gates told Stephanopoulos there is “not a chance” the United States will heed the request of Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and apologize for accusing the country of trying to build a nuclear weapons program.
“This is part of a pattern of deception and lies on the part of the Iranians from the very beginning with respect to their nuclear program,” Gates said. “So it’s no wonder that world leaders think that they have ulterior motives, that they have a plan to go forward with nuclear weapons. Otherwise, why would they do all this in such a deceptive manner?”
Gates said there would first be an effort to persuade Iran to change its policies at group talks with the country that are to take place on Oct. 1. in Geneva.
“And then, if that doesn’t work, then I think you begin to move in the direction of severe sanctions,” Gates said.
Gates also offered a chilling deadline for addressing Iran’s secret efforts, saying the country is ‘between one to three years” away from having its own nuclear weapons.
