Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday that Iran 's controversial nuclear program must be stopped "by all possible means."
"The Iranian threat must be stopped by all possible means. International economic and political sanctions on Iran, as crucial as they may be, are only an initial step, and must be dramatically increased," Olmert said in a keynote speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
"The international community has a duty and responsibility to clarify to Iran, through drastic measures, that the repercussions of their continued pursuit of nuclear weapons will be devastating," he told the pro-Israel lobby.
The premier said that "Israel will not tolerate the possibility of a nuclear Iran, and neither should any other country in the free world," earning a long standing ovation from the audience.
Israel and its main ally, the U.S., claim that the Islamic republic is using its civilian nuclear program as a front to conceal development of atomic weapons technology, a claim vehemently denied by Tehran.