Republican hopefuls set out stalls with some hardline foreign policies

The frontrunner for the Republican nomination for next year’s presidential election has said he would go to war with Iran if sanctions do not deter the regime from pursuing nuclear weapons.

Speaking during the latest live debate between candidates, Mitt Romney called for stiffer economic sanctions again Tehran, but did not rule out possible military action.

“It all else fails, if after all the work we’ve done there’s nothing else we can do besides take military action, then of course you take military action,” he said.

Mr Romney has been at or near the top of the Republican field for months, but now is running neck-and-neck with Georgia businessman and political novice Herman Cain.

Mr Cain said he would not use the military but would adopt more robust economic tools.

More controversially, however, Mr Cain told the audience in South Carolina that he would bring back waterboarding for interrogating terror suspects – a practice that simulates drowning and is viewed by many as torture.

He added that he would bow to the “judgment of our military leaders to determine what is torture and what is not torture”, saying the method was an “enhanced interrogation technique”.

Michelle Bachman, the Tea Party darling, also endorsed the practice saying it had been “very effective” under George W Bush and that “it gained information for our country”. President Obama banned the use of waterboarding when he came to power.

Although he did not refer directly to the practice, Rick Perry, who was all but written off as a serious contender after a gaffe in the last televised debate, said he would approve any techniques that may “save young American lives”.

The candidates were largely agreed on Mr Perry’s plan to start the US foreign aid budget at zero for every country at the beginning of each year and only provide assistance to those countries – even Israel – that fell in line with American policy.

While the Republicans were talking about foreign policy, Mr Obama was trying to negotiate with Russia and China a united response to a UN report claiming Iran is working towards nuclear weapons.

After meeting with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in Hawaii, he said the two men intend to “shape a common response” to new allegations about Iranian nuclear ambitions. The issue is fraught because the regime in Tehran is harshly anti-Israel, a nation the United States has pledged to defend.

Speaking to reporters before he talked to Hu Jintao, Mr Obama said that he and the Chinese leader want to ensure that Iran abides by “international rules and norms”. His comments were broad enough to portray a united front without yielding any clear indication of progress.

Mr Medvedev was largely silent on Iran during his remarks, merely acknowledging that the subject was discussed. Hu did not mention Iran at all.