Mitt Romney on Sunday gave his unequivocal support to Israel and its effort to thwart Iran from achieving nuclear weapons capability, saying the United States has "a solemn duty and a moral imperative" to help in that effort.

The GOP presidential candidate made his comments in a much-anticipated speech in Jerusalem.  

"Make no mistake, the ayatollahs in Iran are testing our moral defenses," Romney said. "They want to know who will object and who will look the other way. We will not look away nor will our country ever look away from our passion and commitment to Israel. ... We recognize Israel's right to defend itself."

He also declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel.  

Earlier in the day, top foreign policy adviser Dan Senor in a preview of the speech suggested Romney would support Israel making a military strike on Iran to defend itself against a nuclear-capable Tehran.

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