France Says Nuclear-Armed Iran Unacceptable

France has said a nuclear-armed Iran would be unacceptable, backtracking on earlier remarks by President Jacques Chirac.

The presidential office said on February 1 that the Iranian nuclear program is "opaque and therefore dangerous for the region."

Chirac has retracted statements he made this week that Iran's possession of a nuclear bomb would not be "very dangerous." He also said that if it used the weapon on Israel, Tehran would be immediately "razed."

Reacting to Chirac comments, the U.S. State Department said today there is no difference between the United States and France over whether Iran should have nuclear weapons.

Spokesman Sean McCormack said Washington accepts Chirac's retraction.

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