DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Israel warned a stronger line with Iran is necessary because nuclear weapons "in the hands of a fanatical regime" pose a worldwide threat.
Israeli President Shimon Peres urged the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed El Baradei, to work "in a serious and steadfast manner against Iran's nuclear armament," The Guardian reported Sunday.
As the two men met Saturday in Davos, Switzerland, Peres said, "A nuclear weapon in the hands of a fanatical regime such as the one in Iran poses a threat not only to Israel but also to the entire world."
Shlomo Brom, a retired general and senior research fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies in Tel Aviv, said the Israeli government was probably not going to be completely satisfied with U.S. policies and said he too believed a harder line was necessary.
"If the idea is to engage the Iranians and have dialogue and reach a diplomatic solution, I don't think it is possible if the Iranians don't feel some pressure," Brom said.
U.S. President Barack Obama is deploying defense systems against the possibility of Iranian missile attacks in the Persian Gulf, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Gen. David H. Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, said the United States had Aegis cruisers patrolling the Persian Gulf at all times. The cruisers are equipped with antimissile systems and advanced radar designed to intercept medium-range missiles.
The deployment also includes antimissile defense systems that will be in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.