| GEO World | | Mullen warns against attack on Iran | Updated at: 1001 PST, Friday, January 08, 2010
 WASHINGTON: US Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warns that any military attack on Iran will be "very, very destabilizing" and will have unintended consequences for the Middle East.
Admiral Mullen accused Tehran of being "on a path that has strategic intent to develop nuclear weapons and have been for some time."
"I think that outcome is potentially a very, very destabilizing outcome on the other hand, when asked about striking Iran, specifically, that also has a very, very destabilizing outcome," Adm. Mullen told a gathering at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
He underlined that diplomacy is crucial in resolving the standoff over Iran's nuclear energy program. However, Mullen says the US military is prepared for any eventuality in Iran, despite being stretched by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Adm. Mullen said he worried about "unintended consequences" of either scenario, adding "that part of the world could become much more unstable, which is a dangerous global outcome."
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