Mr. President: An Iran Attack on Israel Is Attack on US

Dear Mr. President:

I am attaching a statement issued by former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani and myself.

It provides the reasons why we believe you should put Iran on notice that an attack by it upon Saudi Arabia or Israel would be considered an attack upon the U.S. to which the U.S. would immediately respond.

We have asked the Republican candidates for president to support you on such a decision. I personally believe that your doing this is in the best interests of our country and would deter Iran from initiating a war against either or both Saudi Arabia and Israel.

All the best.
Ed Koch

Statement by Former Mayors
Edward I. Koch and Rudolph Giuliani
October 28, 2011

The President has announced a withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq. We support continued United States help to a democratic transformation among the Arab countries and societies of North Africa and the Middle East.

Iran’s nuclear ambitions are unabated and the virulence of Ahmadinejad’s anti-American and anti-Israel existential threats continue. To add to these risks, Tehran has been the strongest supporter of the Assad regime in Syria, has worked to undermine our ally Saudi Arabia and other friendly Gulf states, and is the strongest supporter of Hezbollah and Hamas, two anti-Western terrorist organizations in the region.

Recently, the President of the U.S. and the Attorney General of the U.S., Eric Holder, announced that Iranian officials ordered the assassination of Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.S. and the blowing up of the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington, D.C.

In our view, Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. Further, it should be placed on notice that an attack upon Israel or Saudi Arabia will be considered as equivalent to an attack upon the U.S. to which the U.S. will immediately respond.

The risk to the United States through an Iranian nuclear capability goes without saying. The United States and our Allies need to increase the pressure on Iran to thwart this initiative of theirs.

The risk to our country of an Iranian attack on our long-time allies, Israel, the only truly democratic power in the region, or Saudi Arabia, also a long-term American ally and provider of energy, would definitively turn the Middle East into a Tehran dominated region, with devastating consequences for our country and remaining supporters in the area.

We also call on the major Republican candidates for President — Michele Bachman, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum — to publicly support such action on the President’s part.