Casino magnate and Republican benefactor Sheldon Adelson triggered worldwide controversy on Tuesday night when he suggested that the U.S. should drop a nuclear bomb in the Iranian desert as a warning. The remarks were reported and recorded by Philip Weiss, an anti-Zionist blogger. Pro-Israel websites condemned Adelson’s remarks: “Such a move would likely be disastrous,” said World Jewish Daily.
Adelson made his comments at a panel discussion entitled “Will Jews Exist?” that had been convened by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (who is also a Breitbart contributor). Asked whether the U.S. should negotiate with Iran, Adelson suggested instead that the U.S. should launch “ballistic missiles, the middle of the desert, that doesn’t hurt a soul” and warn: “The next one is in the middle of Tehran. So, we mean business.”
Rabbi Boteach stated Thursday that Adelson’s comments were an innocuous “overstatement” likely intended to provoke liberal critics. Adelson’s spokesman, Ron Reese, called the comment “hyperbole to make a point that–based on [Adelson’s] nearly seven decades of experience negotiating business deals–actions speak louder than words.” Breitbart News has learned that Adelson has made similar remarks privately on at least one occasion.
Meanwhile, the Institute for Science and International Security released a report indicating that Iran “could produce enough weapons-grade uranium to build a nuclear bomb in as little as a month,” USA Today reports. The Obama administration is attempting to convince the Iranian regime to scale back nuclear enrichment, in a diplomatic effort that has produced few results since the George W. Bush administration began nuclear talks.