Hillary Clinton Says Iran Facing `Military Dictatorship' as Nuclear Work Advances

“The government of Iran, the supreme leader, the president, the parliament is being supplanted” by the Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite military force that has enforced a crackdown on opposition protests since June’s disputed election, Clinton said yesterday in Doha, Qatar. She arrived today in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, her last stop in a three-day visit to the region to build support for new measures against Iran.

The U.S. has called for United Nations sanctions targeting the Revolutionary Guard to persuade the regime to cease uranium enrichment that could lead to nuclear weapons development. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal last night said governments should act quickly to prevent Iran’s program from spurring a regional nuclear arms race.

“We need an immediate resolution,” Prince Saud said late last night in Riyadh, adding he was worried that a “long-term” effort to agree on sanctions may come too late to check Iran.

Clinton met yesterday with Saudi King Abdullah at his winter camp, a retreat rarely opened to outsiders. Both sides called the four-hour discussions productive, with wide agreement on pressuring Iran, restarting Mideast peace talks and promoting stability in Yemen and Afghanistan.

Asked if he agreed with what Clinton said about Iran becoming a military dictatorship, Prince Saud replied, “the Secretary is a better prognosticator than I am.”