In my column today on the main site, I mention former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman as a Republican presidential candidate who favors a more restrained U.S. foreign policy. Yet his dovishness may not extend to Iran. In an interview with New Hampshire’s WMUR, Huntsman said he would be willing to consider using force if a weaponized Iran threatened Israel:

GOV. JON HUNTSMAN: “At this point in our nation’s history, where our economy and jobs need to be the sole and exclusive focus, we need to make sure that we focus on the core, our nation’s center, our economy. Because if we keep going as we are, then our ability to do anything for anybody around the world is going to be put in jeopardy because we’re not going to be able to afford it. We need to take a step back and look at the really transcendent foreign policy issues that are on the horizon that may take our involvement, like weaponization in Iran. What do you do when Iran all of a sudden develops a WMD over the next year to year-and-a-half?”

HOST: “What do you do?”

HUNTSMAN: “Well, you better believe Israel is going to approach, probably desiring a preemptive strike. Because if nothing is done then Saudi Arabia is going to respond, Turkey is going to respond, Egypt will likely respond, even under new management, and that means you have proliferation concerns throughout the region, resulting in tremendous instability. Now if ever there was a reason to consider using US force, it would be in pursuit of situations like that.”