NEW BOSTON, N.H. – Rick Santorum said the United States should be open to a military strike to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

“A country that is developing a weapon of mass destruction to use it to destroy another country must be stopped in a preemptive strike,” Santorum told a crowd of about 50 people in a rural part of New Hampshire this evening.

This was his second policy speech in a series of three in his “Faith, Family and Freedom” tour.

This week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran appeared to be developing nuclear weapons.

Santorum said that, if he is elected president, he would support pro-Democracy groups in Iran, work closely with Israel to stop any Iranian nuclear program.

“Option number one is to work with the Israelis and plan to implement a military strategy to stop them [Iran],” Santorum said. “I would work closely with our ally and make sure that the mission was accomplished and the world knows that we are this close to Israel.”

During a question-and-answer portion of the event, Santorum was asked about the two other wars the country is engaged in and the war fatigue that many Americans have experienced over the last 10 years.

The former Pennsylvania senator admitted that the country is “tired of war” and the “commitment that it takes,” but said the United States needs to focus on more than its economic problems.

“Everyone wants to focus on the economy,” Santorum said, “but we all know that the events of 9/11 and attacks like that make the economic problems that we’re dealing with right now very small, if we were engaged in a war with someone who would now be under protection from a nuclear shield.”

Santorum blamed both the Bush and Obama administrations for not being tougher on Iran in the past.

He took Obama to task for open mic comments shared with French President Nicolas Sarkozy last week when reporters overheard the two world leaders discussing Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu. Santorum called it  ”trash talking.”