Iran May Keep Nuclear Program After Ukraine, Cohen Says

Iran may be less likely to halt its nuclear weaponry program after the U.S. and Europe failed to stop Russia from annexing part of Ukraine, which 20 years ago gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees, said former U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen.

In the case of Ukraine “having given up its nuclear weapons in a deal that was supposed to guarantee their independence, we now see their independence being rolled back by Russia,” Cohen said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt” airing this weekend. “I think that sends a signal to the Iranians, certainly to the North Koreans and others, that maybe we’ve got to hold on to what we have or try to get what we don’t have.”