Olmert says Israel will not accept a nuclear Iran

JERUSALEM-AP-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in comments published Tuesday that Israel would not allow Iran, which it considers its top enemy, to produce nuclear weapons.

"Israel can't accept the possibility of Iranians having nuclear weapons and we will act together with the international forces, starting with the Americans, in order to prevent it," Olmert told The Jerusalem Post daily in an interview.

Olmert said he thought U.S. President George W. Bush was "absolutely determined" to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Israel, he added, won't accept a situation in which Iran possesses such arms.

"I don't think Israel can be reconciled (to this)," Olmert said. "I don't intend to. This is a danger that is just one thing that we can't afford."

Israel's concerns about Iran's nuclear capabilities have been compounded by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated calls to have Israel "wiped off the map."

Olmert said recently that while Israel could defend itself, he hoped the international community would be able to keep Iran in line.

The international community is embroiled in a confrontation with Iran over its nuclear ambitions, which Tehran claims are peaceful.

Britain, France, Germany, the U.S., China and Russia are considering sanctions against Tehran if it doesn't agree quickly to suspend uranium enrichment, a key process in developing nuclear weapons.