Source: Press TV

Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain says the US will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons, which could destroy Israel.

McCain made the remark in Monday interview with an Israeli TV station on the eve of his Democratic rival, Senator Barack Obama's visit to Israel.

“I would hope that would never happen, I would hope that Israel would not feel that threatened,'' said McCain, referring to a possible Israeli military assault on Iran, a country that has repeatedly said it has no intention of initiating an attack against Tel Aviv or building an atomic bomb.

He also said 'significant' and 'very painful' US and European sanctions could 'modify' Iran's 'behavior' over the nuclear issue, sanctions which Iran says are 'illegal' according to international law.

McCain once again laid out his policy toward Iran, but now there is doubt about whether the candidate knew exactly which country he was referring to, as

In another interview with ABC's Good Morning America the Arizona senator raised eyebrows once again when he talked about the Iraq-Pakistan border, excluding Iran which is located between the two countries

"We have a lot of work to do and I'm afraid it's a very hard struggle, particularly given the situation on the Iraq-Pakistan border," said McCain when trying to comment on Obama's view of Afghanistan.

During the interview with the Israeli station, McCain also said that the United States of America would never allow 'a second Holocaust'.

“But I have to look you in the eye and tell you that the United States of America can never allow a second Holocaust,” said the candidate, who has among his staunch supporters figures like John Hagee.

A leader of the US evangelical movement, Hagee, has said that Hitler acted as God's agent, and that the Holocaust was the will of God.