leftchick
12-04-2007, 06:58 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7126117.stm
By Adam Brookes
BBC News, Washington
In an abrupt change of position, the US intelligence agencies now say they do not know if Iran intends to build a nuclear weapon.
Natanz uranium enrichment facility, Iran
The report says Iran may still face problems enriching uranium
The unclassified version of a new National Intelligence Estimate, or NIE, released on Monday, said that Iran was "less determined to develop nuclear weapons than we have been judging since 2005".
In May 2005, the intelligence community had said "with high confidence" that Iran was "determined" to build nuclear weapons.
The new NIE confirms that Iran did, indeed, have an illicit nuclear weapons programme.
But it says that programme ceased operating in 2003 and, as of mid-2007, had probably not started up again. The NIE asserts that the weapons programme was dropped because of international pressure.
It says that US intelligence estimates - with "moderate-to-high confidence" - that Iran currently does not currently have a nuclear weapon.
<snip>
However, the new NIE will make it harder for proponents of military action against Iran to argue their case.
One source, who has close links to US intelligence, said that members of Vice President Dick Cheney's staff continued to call for military strikes against Iran "on a daily basis".
Senior military officers and intelligence officials are understood to have grave reservations about an attack on Iran - not least because it would be unclear how a military confrontation with Iran could be brought to a conclusion.
By Adam Brookes
BBC News, Washington
In an abrupt change of position, the US intelligence agencies now say they do not know if Iran intends to build a nuclear weapon.
Natanz uranium enrichment facility, Iran
The report says Iran may still face problems enriching uranium
The unclassified version of a new National Intelligence Estimate, or NIE, released on Monday, said that Iran was "less determined to develop nuclear weapons than we have been judging since 2005".
In May 2005, the intelligence community had said "with high confidence" that Iran was "determined" to build nuclear weapons.
The new NIE confirms that Iran did, indeed, have an illicit nuclear weapons programme.
But it says that programme ceased operating in 2003 and, as of mid-2007, had probably not started up again. The NIE asserts that the weapons programme was dropped because of international pressure.
It says that US intelligence estimates - with "moderate-to-high confidence" - that Iran currently does not currently have a nuclear weapon.
<snip>
However, the new NIE will make it harder for proponents of military action against Iran to argue their case.
One source, who has close links to US intelligence, said that members of Vice President Dick Cheney's staff continued to call for military strikes against Iran "on a daily basis".
Senior military officers and intelligence officials are understood to have grave reservations about an attack on Iran - not least because it would be unclear how a military confrontation with Iran could be brought to a conclusion.