Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

Interview With David Isby

Aired June 21, 2003 - 12:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The International Atomic Energy Agency says it isn't getting what it bargained for in Iran. The country is refusing to allow international inspectors to take environmental samples at some places. Today, however, the head of Iran's atomic energy program said his country still wants to cooperate and dispel doubts about its nuclear ambitions. A senior Bush administration official told the BBC that President Bush has repeatedly said all options are on the table to discourage Iran from making nuclear weapons, but undersecretary of secretary of state, John Bolton, also says that military action is, quote, "far from our minds."
With the increasing concern over Iran's nuclear program and U.S. troops positioned right next door in Iraq -- how much more delicate is the diplomatic situation, there? Defense Consultant David Isby is in Washington to help us answer that question.

Good to see you, David.

DAVID ISBY, DEFENSE CONSULTANT: Hello.

WHITFIELD: All right, so the undersecretary saying all options are on the table, but military action is far from our minds. How do you decipher that?

ISBY: Well, certainly, Iran would be a very difficult military objective unlike Iraq, it's much larger, it goes up to the border with the former Soviet Union, but on the other hand, we've just said how much we're concerned that a nuclear Iran would be a threat to the region and possibly to the United States.

WHITFIELD: And of course, Iran is saying it needs the nuclear power strictly for that, just power, electricity. Do you buy that?

ISBY: No. I mean, there's certainly a broad commitment in Iran to develop nuclear weapons and that's one of the difficult parts for U.S. policy, in that many of the people inside Iran who would rather see running the country, rather than the current government, also believe that Iran lives in a bad neighborhood and should have nuclear weapons. So, as we're seeking to see regime change inside Iran, not everyone there is against nuclear weapons.

WHITFIELD: So, if already international inspectors being barred from actually take -- getting a closer look, getting any kind of environmental samples -- who or what could actually intervene in this process to prove once and for all whether there is an effort for nuclear activity, weapons activity or not?

ISBY: That's really very hard to do. We see with the controversy before the war of Iraq with Hans Blix. Before the 1991 war, the IAEA was inspecting Iraq's nuclear facilities, and they never really came to grips with then, Saddam Hussein's clandestine nuclear program. Iran has learned from the mistakes of Iraq and North Korea and they're very good in the setting about of policy, which keeping it legal as long as they can and getting ready for a quick breakout.

WHITFIELD: But, you're saying they've learned from North Korea and Iraq. What will have been learned? I mean, how is Iran taking a different position than say, North Korea?

ISBY: By that, they're trying to keep as much material in the world market and that's important because the U.S. has dealt with both China and Russia, trying to get them to limit their supplies to Iran's nuclear program. So, that's a key thing. The Iranians are not going to go for a bomb soon, until they have gotten as much as they can on the world market.

WHITFIELD: The U.S. has received continuous criticism of embarking on a war or any kind of conflict with Iraq when the conflict with Afghanistan, the major objective of finding Osama bin Laden still had not been achieved, and now you throw Iran in that equation. What is the world perception of the U.S. growing into?

ISBY: Well, one of the things the rest of the world does not share quite as much, the US opinion that it is very, very dangerous to have people like Iraq, Iran, North Korea have nuclear weapons. Largely because with some key exception such as Israel, South Korea, they are not likely to be the targets.

But the U.S. feels that if these you know, quote/unquote "axis of evil" does indeed have nuclear weapons, it's not just another unpleasant thing happening in the world, as is the generally shared perception. Rather it fundamentally changes the international system.

WHITFIELD: And quickly, David, this is a Persian country we're talking about. Who does the U.S. need on its side in this pursuit?

ISBY: U.S. needs as many people as possible, again a broad coalition, especially in the Gulf, would be nice. And also perhaps to offer a successor regime in Iran. The chance of yes, we can assure your stability, your security, without nuclear weapons.

WHITFIELD: David Isby, thanks very much.

ISBY: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired June 21, 2003 - 12:26   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The International Atomic Energy Agency says it isn't getting what it bargained for in Iran. The country is refusing to allow international inspectors to take environmental samples at some places. Today, however, the head of Iran's atomic energy program said his country still wants to cooperate and dispel doubts about its nuclear ambitions. A senior Bush administration official told the BBC that President Bush has repeatedly said all options are on the table to discourage Iran from making nuclear weapons, but undersecretary of secretary of state, John Bolton, also says that military action is, quote, "far from our minds."
With the increasing concern over Iran's nuclear program and U.S. troops positioned right next door in Iraq -- how much more delicate is the diplomatic situation, there? Defense Consultant David Isby is in Washington to help us answer that question.

Good to see you, David.

DAVID ISBY, DEFENSE CONSULTANT: Hello.

WHITFIELD: All right, so the undersecretary saying all options are on the table, but military action is far from our minds. How do you decipher that?

ISBY: Well, certainly, Iran would be a very difficult military objective unlike Iraq, it's much larger, it goes up to the border with the former Soviet Union, but on the other hand, we've just said how much we're concerned that a nuclear Iran would be a threat to the region and possibly to the United States.

WHITFIELD: And of course, Iran is saying it needs the nuclear power strictly for that, just power, electricity. Do you buy that?

ISBY: No. I mean, there's certainly a broad commitment in Iran to develop nuclear weapons and that's one of the difficult parts for U.S. policy, in that many of the people inside Iran who would rather see running the country, rather than the current government, also believe that Iran lives in a bad neighborhood and should have nuclear weapons. So, as we're seeking to see regime change inside Iran, not everyone there is against nuclear weapons.

WHITFIELD: So, if already international inspectors being barred from actually take -- getting a closer look, getting any kind of environmental samples -- who or what could actually intervene in this process to prove once and for all whether there is an effort for nuclear activity, weapons activity or not?

ISBY: That's really very hard to do. We see with the controversy before the war of Iraq with Hans Blix. Before the 1991 war, the IAEA was inspecting Iraq's nuclear facilities, and they never really came to grips with then, Saddam Hussein's clandestine nuclear program. Iran has learned from the mistakes of Iraq and North Korea and they're very good in the setting about of policy, which keeping it legal as long as they can and getting ready for a quick breakout.

WHITFIELD: But, you're saying they've learned from North Korea and Iraq. What will have been learned? I mean, how is Iran taking a different position than say, North Korea?

ISBY: By that, they're trying to keep as much material in the world market and that's important because the U.S. has dealt with both China and Russia, trying to get them to limit their supplies to Iran's nuclear program. So, that's a key thing. The Iranians are not going to go for a bomb soon, until they have gotten as much as they can on the world market.

WHITFIELD: The U.S. has received continuous criticism of embarking on a war or any kind of conflict with Iraq when the conflict with Afghanistan, the major objective of finding Osama bin Laden still had not been achieved, and now you throw Iran in that equation. What is the world perception of the U.S. growing into?

ISBY: Well, one of the things the rest of the world does not share quite as much, the US opinion that it is very, very dangerous to have people like Iraq, Iran, North Korea have nuclear weapons. Largely because with some key exception such as Israel, South Korea, they are not likely to be the targets.

But the U.S. feels that if these you know, quote/unquote "axis of evil" does indeed have nuclear weapons, it's not just another unpleasant thing happening in the world, as is the generally shared perception. Rather it fundamentally changes the international system.

WHITFIELD: And quickly, David, this is a Persian country we're talking about. Who does the U.S. need on its side in this pursuit?

ISBY: U.S. needs as many people as possible, again a broad coalition, especially in the Gulf, would be nice. And also perhaps to offer a successor regime in Iran. The chance of yes, we can assure your stability, your security, without nuclear weapons.

WHITFIELD: David Isby, thanks very much.

ISBY: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com