Israel would attack Iran to prevent it from achieving nuclear weapons capacity, Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said in an interview aired Monday, Haaretz reported.
"Iran represents an existential threat, and [the Israelis] will do whatever they have to do to guarantee their survival and their security," Cheney told Newsmax TV when asked about the possibility of an Israeli preemptive attack against Iran.
Cheney said his assessment did not come from consultation with a particular Israeli leader, but was rather a reflection of a number of discussions with Israeli officials. "I can't attribute it to any one particular Israeli leader. I wouldn't want to do that," he said.
Nevertheless, he added that he "had a number of conversations with a lot of Israeli officials, and I think they correctly perceive Iran as a basic threat."
The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has denied the charges, saying its nuclear program is aimed at generating electricity and producing isotopes to treat medical patients.
The United Nations has imposed four rounds of Security Council sanctions over Tehran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment, a technology that can be used to produce nuclear fuel or materials for an atomic bomb.
On Sunday, in his speech dedicated to the tenth anniversary of September 11 terrorist attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Iran's nuclear program was a serious threat to global security.