Both men said the decision could lead to a nuclear arms race in Asia.
We cannot afford to have a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region in the world.
Just four years after the US used its nuclear weapons, it found itself in a nuclear arms race with the Soviets.
And if Tehran gets the bomb, we might soon have a nuclear arms race in one of the world's most volatile regions.
What I know is this: that if we see a nuclear arms race in a region as volatile as the Middle East, everybody will be in danger.
Presently, America and Russia meet a fifth of world uranium demand in the form of decommissioned nuclear weapons, taken from the stockpile amassed during the nuclear arms race of the cold war.
Better, he says, to concentrate on preventing a nuclear arms race across the region before it starts, while containing Iran by making it clear that it will suffer devastating consequences if it takes the next step towards acquiring nuclear weapons.
Will the Middle East see a nuclear-arms race as rival nations try to catch up?
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It is almost certain that others in the region would feel compelled to get their own nuclear weapon, triggering an arms race in one of the world's most volatile regions.
Kennedy now contended that both sides had a vital interest in stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and slowing the arms race--a contention which led to the test ban treaty of 1963.
Clinton had earlier warned that North Korea's refusal to discuss its nuclear program could escalate tensions and provoke an arms race in northeast Asia.
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He said the goal is to ensure that Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel or trigger a possible arms race in the region.
Libya and Iran have both opted to expose their nuclear programmes to outside monitoring, and so helped to reduce the potential for a regional arms race.
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