Obama vows to thwart Iran nukes, decries waterboarding

Associated Press

KAPOLEI, Hawaii

President Barack Obama says sanctions on Iran are having “enormous bite,” but he still wants to work with Russia and China to find more ways of putting pressure on Tehran to halt its nuclear program.

At a news conference Sunday night after the APEC summit in Hawaii, Obama didn’t specify those measures — and said he’s still not taking any options off the table.

At the summit, Obama met with Russian and Chinese leaders to discuss a new report from the U.N. watchdog agency that included evidence Iran’s program is working on research and design efforts to develop a nuclear bomb.

Obama said Russia and China share America’s goal of making sure Iran doesn’t build the bomb.

Both countries have said they oppose new sanctions.

The president, answering questions at the press conference, did not specifically say he would consider military action if Tehran were to persist in arming itself with a nuclear weapon.

But he added: “We are not taking any options off the table. Iran with nuclear weapons would pose a threat not only to the region but also to the United States.”

A report Friday from the International Atomic Energy Agency provided new evidence that Iran’s nuclear program includes clandestine efforts to build a bomb. The report, circulated among the U.N. watchdog agency’s member countries, includes satellite images, letters, diagrams and other documents.

On another topic, Obama says the interrogation technique known as waterboarding constitutes torturing, disputing Republican presidential candidates who say they’d reinstate it.

Obama called waterboarding “torture” and said it was “contrary to America’s traditions.”

Republicans Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann said during a Republican debate on Saturday that they would reinstate the technique that former President George W. Bush authorized and Obama banned.

The practice simulates drowning and is viewed as torture by many.