Romney won't stand-by while 'ayatollahs in Tehran' threaten to 'wipe Israel off map'

Washington, July 30 (ANI): US Republican Presidential contender Mitt Romney has vowed to support Israel in its decision of taking military action against Iran, saying he would not stand-by while the 'ayatollahs in Tehran' threatened to wipe the Jewish state 'off the map'.

Romney indicated that he would not stand in Israel's way were it to launch an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

In a speech on foreign policy on Sunday, Romney even compared the threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran to that of the Holocaust, warning that it was at best naive to dismiss Iran's ambitions as an "excess of rhetoric".

"The threat it would pose to Israel, the region and the world is incomparable and unacceptable," The Telegraph quoted him, as saying.

Romney added that the US had "a solemn duty and a moral imperative to deny Iran's leaders the means to follow through on their malevolent intentions".

According to the paper, Dan Senor, Romney's senior national security aide said that the former Massachusetts governor 'would pursue a foreign policy more closely aligned to the Jewish state's interests.'

"If Israel has to take action on its own, in order to stop Iran from developing the capability, the governor would respect that decision," Senor said.

According to the paper, Romney also courted further controversy by proclaiming Jerusalem to be "the capital of Israel ", a status not recognised by the US or any foreign power because the eastern part of the city is also claimed by the Palestinians. (ANI)