The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Washington

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday Iran's nuclear program must be stopped by "all possible means" and Tehran must be made to see it would suffer devastating repercussions if it pursued atomic weapons.

The Israeli leader, under criminal investigation at home that could drive him from office, issued his strongest warning yet to Iran in a policy speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group.

"The Iranian threat must be stopped by all possible means," said Olmert, who is expected to discuss the issue in talks with U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday.

"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," Olmert added. The United States accuses Iran of pursuing atomic weapons under cover of its civil nuclear program. Iran denies this and has said its nuclear program is to generate electricity. Israel is widely believed to have hundreds of nuclear warheads. Olmert said international and political sanctions on Iran, whose president has called for Israel's destruction, were "only an initial step."

In addition to measures agreed by the United Nations, he said, "sanctions should also be initiated by individual countries which have dealings with Iran."

Olmert, on what some Israeli political commentators have coined his "farewell visit" to the United States, pledged to pursue a "historic breakthrough" by the end of the year in peace talks with the Palestinians.

But he did not say in the speech whether he and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas could still meet Washington's target of a framework statehood deal before Bush leaves office in January.