Olmert meets Bush, says Iran is dangerous

The US administration is willing to have discussions with Iran on Iraq and other issues but any talks must be preceded by the verifiable suspension of Iran's uranium enrichment activities, President George W. Bush said today.

Speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the White House, Bush said, "Iran with a nuclear weapon would be a destabilizing influence" on the Middle East and efforts to foster peace in the region, and he urged the international community collectively to tell Iranian leaders "if you choose to continue forward, you'll be isolated."

The president said he hopes that "rational people" inside the Iranian government "recognize isolation is not in their country's interest," and that the Iranian people desire a "better way forward."

"I don't think they want to confront the world.... I believe they could benefit by more trade and more openness with the world. But their leaders have to make the decision, and the decision is abundantly clear to them," he said.

Olmert said the Iranian government's "fanaticism and... extremism," exemplified by its repeated calls to destroy Israel "is not just a threat for Israel, but for the whole world."

"The fact that the leader of a nation such as Iran can threaten the very existence of another nation, as he does towards the state of Israel, is not something that we can tolerate or would ever tolerate, and certainly not when we know that he is trying to possess nuclear weapons," Olmert said.

Iranian officials warned yesterday that any "stupid" action by Israel would be reacted to immediately.