General Dempsey: "Premature" To Use Military Force Against Iran

In an exclusive interview with the National Journal following his return from Israel, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey argued that it was "premature" to decide that military force should be used against Iran. His interview reflects the U.S. military's continued resistance to the British aggressive drive toward confrontation and war.

"I do think the path we're on — the economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure — does seem to me to be having an effect," Dempsey said. "I just think that it's premature to be deciding that the economic and diplomatic approach is inadequate."

"A conflict with Iran would be really destabilizing, and I'm not just talking from the security perspective," he said. "It would be economically destabilizing."

Dempsey also characterized his talks in Israel as both sides "aggressively" arguing different perceptions of the threat. He said, "My intervention with them was not to try to persaude them to my thinking or allow them to persuade me to theirs, but rather to acknowledge the complexity and commit to seeking creative solutions, not simple solutions."

"We are determined to prevent them from acquiring that weapon, but that doesn't mean dropping bombs necessarily. I personally believe that we should be in the business oof deterring as the first priority."