Hagel lays out support for Iran sanctions

President Barack Obama's pick for defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, is meeting with senior Pentagon staff to try to set the record straight about his stand on Iran, saying he backs strong international sanctions against Tehran and believes all options, including military action, should be on the table, defense officials said Wednesday.

In private meetings with top military and defense leaders and staff this week, Hagel sought to counter critics who say he is soft on Iran and would be the most antagonistic secretary toward Israel. Senior defense officials who have met with Hagel said he told them that his views on Iran have been misrepresented and that he has long backed international sanctions.

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Hagel, a former Republican senator, has been given space on the Pentagon's third floor and a small staff so he can begin preparing for what will likely be a contentious congressional hearing on his nomination.

Already this week, Hagel has had dinner and lunch with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and met with Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey and Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. He also has begun making calls to senators to answer questions and lay out his positions on key national security issues.

Obama with Hagel during nomination (Photo: MCT)

Critics have zeroed in on statements Hagel has made questioning the wisdom of a military strike by either the US or Israel against Iran. As a senator, he voted against unilateral economic sanctions on Tehran, although he supports the joint international penalties Obama also prefers. Hagel also irritated some Israel backers with his reference to the "Jewish lobby" in the United States.

A handful of Republican senators have already announced opposition to their former colleague, and some Democrats have expressed unease with the choice. But it is likely that, in the end, senators will confirm the Vietnam veteran – who was twice awarded the Purple Heart – as Obama's third defense chief.

Hagel's passion

Defense officials said Hagel told senior policy staff in a meeting Wednesday that he strongly supports multilateral sanctions against Iran and that Tehran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the private meeting.

Officials also said that Hagel's own war zone experience came through as he spoke with staff about issues involving military troops, including traumatic brain injury, which is a common wound suffered by forces in Iraq and Afghanistan – most caused by being near bomb blasts.

In the coming weeks, Hagel is expected to get briefings on a broad range of defense issues, including extensive information on the budget.

Many defense officials were meeting Hagel for the first time this week but said they were impressed with his passion for national security policy and his desire to take the job.

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