The Iran hawk candidates have some explaining to do.

Obama Blames U.S. for Stronger Iran
March 2, 2007
By DEANNA BELLANDI
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) - Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama on Friday blamed Bush administration failings in Iraq for strengthening the strategic position of Iran, which he says must be stopped from acquiring nuclear weapons.

...Obama focused on Iran Friday, calling President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's regime "a threat to all of us."

A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama said the world—not just the United States—must stop Iran's uranium enrichment program.

"While we should take no option, including military action, off the table, sustained and aggressive diplomacy combined with tough sanctions should be our primary means to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons," Obama said.

Obama said Iranian nuclear weapons would destabilize the region and could set off a new arms race.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8NK74JO0&show_article=1

Obama Statement to Rally Opposing Iran's Nuclear Ambitions
September 24, 2007

Chicago, IL -- U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement on ensuring Iran does not achieve its nuclear ambition to the organizers of the "The National Rally to End the Threat Now."

"I commend you for holding this important rally, and regret that I could not join you today. You are coming together at a critical moment to send a clear message to Iran: it is time for the Iranian government to cease its dangerous and reprehensible behavior.

Iran is now the greatest strategic challenge to America in the Middle East in a generation, and poses a grave threat to Israel's security. We do not accept Iran's support and encouragement of sectarian violence in Iraq. We do not accept their sponsorship of terrorism throughout the Middle East. We do not accept their pursuit of nuclear weapons, in defiance of the international community.

...We should never shrink from raising our voices to put our own values up against the bankrupt values of the Iranian regime. Let President Ahmadinejad learn, here in America, that we are united in rejecting Iran's support for terrorism, its pursuit of nuclear weapons, and his comments which offend Israel, Jews, and all people of goodwill.

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/09/24/obama_statement_to_rally_oppos.php

And, of course, this blast from the past...

Obama would consider missile strikes on Iran
By David Mendell | Tribune staff reporter
September 25, 2004

U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama suggested Friday that the United States one day might have to launch surgical missile strikes into Iran and Pakistan to keep extremists from getting control of nuclear bombs...

Obama said the United States must first address Iran's attempt to gain nuclear capabilities by going before the United Nations Security Council and lobbying the international community to apply more pressure on Iran to cease nuclear activities. That pressure should come in the form of economic sanctions, he said.

But if those measures fall short, the United States should not rule out military strikes to destroy nuclear production sites in Iran, Obama said.

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:iT6wowfOpF8J:www.chicagotribune.com/news/printedition/chi-0409250111sep25,1,4555304.story%3Fctrack%3D1%26cset%3Dtrue+obama+iran+nuclear&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us

"Democratic candidates expressed concern Thursday about the Bush administration's extensive sanctions against Iran, arguing that the measures were likely precursors to war. The new sanctions target Iran's Revolutionary Guard, its Quds force and a number of Iranian banks and people the U.S. accuses of backing nuclear proliferation and terror-related activities.

"It is important to have tough sanctions on Iran, particularly on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which supports terrorism," Barack Obama said. "But these sanctions must not be linked to any attempt to keep our troops in Iraq, or to take military action against Iran." The senator from Illinois added that "unfortunately, the Kyl-Lieberman amendment made the case for President Bush that we need to use our military presence in Iraq to counter Iran -- a case that has nothing to do with sanctioning the Revolutionary Guard."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/25/iran.campaign