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U.S. DOES NOT BELIEVE IRAN IS TRYING TO BUILD NUCLEAR BOMB
ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 24, 2012
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS: As U.S. and Israeli officials talk
publicly about the prospect of a military strike against Iran's
nuclear program, one fact is often overlooked: U.S. intelligence
agencies don't believe Iran is actively trying to build an atomic bomb,
Armenpress reports citing The Los Angeles Times.
A highly classified U.S. intelligence assessment circulated to
policymakers early last year largely affirms that view, originally
made in 2007. Both reports, known as national intelligence estimates,
conclude that Tehran halted efforts to develop and build a nuclear
warhead in 2003.
The most recent report, which represents the consensus of 16 U.S.
intelligence agencies, indicates that Iran is pursuing research that
could put it in a position to build a weapon, but that it has not
sought to do so.
Although Iran continues to enrich uranium at low levels, U.S.
officials say they have not seen evidence that has caused them to
significantly revise that judgment. Senior U.S. officials say Israel
does not dispute the basic intelligence or analysis.
But Israel appears to have a lower threshold for action than
Washington. It regards Iran as a threat to its existence and says it
will not allow Iran to become capable of building and delivering a
nuclear weapon. Some Israeli officials have raised the prospect of
a military strike to stop Iran before it's too late.
It's unclear how much access U.S. intelligence has in Iran, a problem
that bedeviled efforts to determine whether Iraq had weapons of mass
destruction before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
The assessment that Saddam Hussein had secretly amassed stockpiles of
chemical and biological weapons and was seeking to build a nuclear
weapon, cited by the George W. Bush administration to justify the
invasion, turned out to be wrong.
Iran barred inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency,
the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog group, from visiting Parchin, a military
site, this week to determine whether explosives tests were aimed at
developing nuclear technology.
An IAEA report in November cited "serious concerns" about "possible
military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program," but did not reach
hard conclusions. Another IAEA report is imminent.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, insisted Wednesday
that Tehran had no intention of producing nuclear weapons. In remarks
broadcast on state television, he said that "owning a nuclear weapon
is a big sin."
But he said that "pressure, sanctions and assassinations" would not
stop Iran from producing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The U.S. and European Union have imposed strict sanctions on Iran's
oil and banking sectors, and unidentified assassins on motorcycles
have killed several nuclear scientists in Iran, attacks for which
Tehran has blamed Israel.
For now, U.S. military and intelligence officials say they don't
believe Iran's leadership has made the decision to build a bomb.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 24, 2012
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS: As U.S. and Israeli officials talk
publicly about the prospect of a military strike against Iran's
nuclear program, one fact is often overlooked: U.S. intelligence
agencies don't believe Iran is actively trying to build an atomic bomb,
Armenpress reports citing The Los Angeles Times.
A highly classified U.S. intelligence assessment circulated to
policymakers early last year largely affirms that view, originally
made in 2007. Both reports, known as national intelligence estimates,
conclude that Tehran halted efforts to develop and build a nuclear
warhead in 2003.
The most recent report, which represents the consensus of 16 U.S.
intelligence agencies, indicates that Iran is pursuing research that
could put it in a position to build a weapon, but that it has not
sought to do so.
Although Iran continues to enrich uranium at low levels, U.S.
officials say they have not seen evidence that has caused them to
significantly revise that judgment. Senior U.S. officials say Israel
does not dispute the basic intelligence or analysis.
But Israel appears to have a lower threshold for action than
Washington. It regards Iran as a threat to its existence and says it
will not allow Iran to become capable of building and delivering a
nuclear weapon. Some Israeli officials have raised the prospect of
a military strike to stop Iran before it's too late.
It's unclear how much access U.S. intelligence has in Iran, a problem
that bedeviled efforts to determine whether Iraq had weapons of mass
destruction before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
The assessment that Saddam Hussein had secretly amassed stockpiles of
chemical and biological weapons and was seeking to build a nuclear
weapon, cited by the George W. Bush administration to justify the
invasion, turned out to be wrong.
Iran barred inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency,
the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog group, from visiting Parchin, a military
site, this week to determine whether explosives tests were aimed at
developing nuclear technology.
An IAEA report in November cited "serious concerns" about "possible
military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program," but did not reach
hard conclusions. Another IAEA report is imminent.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, insisted Wednesday
that Tehran had no intention of producing nuclear weapons. In remarks
broadcast on state television, he said that "owning a nuclear weapon
is a big sin."
But he said that "pressure, sanctions and assassinations" would not
stop Iran from producing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The U.S. and European Union have imposed strict sanctions on Iran's
oil and banking sectors, and unidentified assassins on motorcycles
have killed several nuclear scientists in Iran, attacks for which
Tehran has blamed Israel.
For now, U.S. military and intelligence officials say they don't
believe Iran's leadership has made the decision to build a bomb.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress