Criticizing US President Barack Obama as too weak on Middle East foreign policy, Republican challenger Mitt Romney said Monday he would use the threat of additional sanctions to deter Iran's nuclear capabilities and reverse planned cuts to the US military.
"I will put the leaders of Iran on notice that the United States and our friends and allies will prevent them from acquiring nuclear weapons capability," Romney said in a speech at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. "I will not hesitate to impose new sanctions on Iran and will tighten the sanctions we currently have."
He said he would restore the permanent presence of US aircraft carriers in the eastern Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf, and work with Israel to contain any Iranian threat.
"For the sake of peace, we must make clear to Iran through actions -- not just words -- that their nuclear pursuit will not be tolerated," he said.
Romney, who is aiming to shore up his foreign policy credentials ahead of a second debate with Obama scheduled for October 16, did not elaborate on what conditions might trigger his imposition of additional sanctions.
The US imposed sanctions on June 28, barring the banks of countries processing financial transactions with Iran from the US financial system. The sanctions are designed to directly target Iran's oil export revenue, effectively blocking Iranian oil exports to countries that wish to continue doing business with US firms.
The US has accused Iran of using its civilian nuclear energy program to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons, which Iran has denied.
Romney said Obama has damaged the US' relationship with key ally Israel, which has threatened to go to war with Iran over its nuclear program. The Israeli government has been critical of the Obama administration's refusal to issue ultimatums -- so-called "red lines" -- that Iran can not violate to avoid a US military response.
"This is a dangerous situation that has set back the hope of peace in the Middle East and emboldened our mutual adversaries, especially Iran," Romney said.
He characterized Obama's ordered US withdrawal from Afghanistan "a timid retreat" and said he would pursue a transition to Afghan security forces by the end of 2014. On Iraq, he likewise said he would reverse "the abrupt withdrawal of our entire troop presence."
"It is time to change course in the Middle East," Romney said. "That course should be organized around these bedrock principles: America must have confidence in our cause, clarity in our purpose and resolve in our might. No friend of America will question our commitment to support them, no enemy that attacks America will question our resolve to defeat them, and no one anywhere, friend or foe, will doubt America's capability to back up our words."
