“Iran will not get a nuclear weapon under my watch,” Santorum said on NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sunday, following the announcement by Iranian scientists of the production of the country's first nuclear fuel rod.

Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, said he would authorize air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities unless the country opens them up to inspectors.

The West, led by the United States, suspects Iran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program, but the Islamic Republic insists it needs nuclear power only for civilian purposes. Iran is the subject of a wide range of international sanctions.