President Bush is defending his recent comments suggesting Iran’s nuclear ambitions might trigger a world war. He was asked in an interview on German TV if he was serious about his World War III remarks.

President Bush: “Absolutely serious. I said, if you want to avoid World War III; I didn’t say I’m for World War III. … And the reason I said that is because this is a country that has defied the IAEA — in other words, didn’t tell, disclose all their program — have said they want to destroy Israel. If you want to see World War III, you know, a way to do that is to attack Israel with a nuclear weapon. And so I said, now is the time to move.”

On Wednesday, President Bush discussed the Iran situation with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the White House. After the meeting, Sarkozy held a joint news conference with President Bush. Sarkozy repeatedly praised the Bush administration and vowed to take a hardline stance on Iran.

Nicolas Sarkozy: “It is unacceptable that Iran should have at any point a nuclear weapon. But Iran is entitled to the energy of the future, which is civilian nuclear energy. I believe in the effectiveness of sanctions. I believe even in the need to toughen the sanctions.”