Just a tame little cat?
Israel: Iran Likely Restarted Nuclear Arms Program
Israeli intelligence believes Iran is still trying to develop a nuclear weapon, Israel's defense minister said, disputing a U.S. intelligence assessment that Iran has halted its program.
"It's apparently true that in 2003 Iran stopped pursuing its military nuclear program for a time. But in our opinion, since then it has apparently continued that program," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Army Radio. Barak said, "We cannot allow ourselves to rest just because of an intelligence report from the other side of the earth, even if it is from our greatest friend."
(AP/International Herald Tribune)
US: Iran froze nuclear weapons program -Herb Keinon
A new US intelligence report that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, but continues to enrich uranium for civilian purposes, has not lessened Israeli concerns, since enriched uranium can be used both for civilian and military purposes, Israeli government officials said.
Th[e] finding...suggests that Iran is susceptible to diplomatic pressure...
Iran did have a military nuclear program at a time when the country had a more moderate president than its current leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, even though they vociferously denied a nuclear weapons program at the time.
"This just shows they were lying all along," the [Israeli government] official said. [Jerusalem Post]
Iran Laughing at U.S. Lack of Nuclear Intelligence -Amir Oren
A hearty Persian laugh was heard in Tehran after looking at U.S. intelligence's website of "Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities." The document enables the ayatollahs to conclude that the Americans have no understanding of what is really happening in Iran's nuclear program.
[E]ven U.S. intelligence officers agree that Iran can buy nukes off the shelf - from Syria, North Korea and maybe Pakistan.
(Ha'aretz)
5 comments:
I can understand why Israel would be more skeptical and concerned than the US based on this latest development. I am not sure how the US can be so confident with all the intelligence lapses and misunderstandings since 2000. This is clearly an attempt at a slap in the face from the intelligence community to Bush because theys ee the same misinformation campaign and hostile rhetoric from the administration that led to the Iraq invasion, and clearly they do not want to be scapegoated again as the source of the errant facts. Nevertheless, I do not see how anyone can be sure what is going on in Iran, either way, but then I am not privvy to their methods either.
As for the last article of this section, talking about the laughing of the Ayatollahs at America, I find that puff opinion piece a little nonsensical. Iran has insisted they are not working on nuclear technology for warfare and this report just confirms that maybe, for now, they have not been lying. As for buying them off the shelf, I do not beleieve theyc an buy them from Syria, and as Syria found out with the Israeli air strikes, getting it from North Korea is not so easy either. Pakistan, could be a bigger concern, which is why we continue to work with Musharraf; not your most sympathetic or savory character himself.
It may be a slap to Bush from the Intelligence folks, but there is speculation that Bush may have orchestrated the affair to signal pulling back from the military option. See 12/5 post.
More info on the possibility of Iran purchasing nuke fuel:
--NEWS CLIP--
Perhaps 16 U.S. intelligence agencies now assert Iran cannot build a bomb until at least 2010. But they all assume Tehran's program is indigenous. That's a dangerous assumption, indeed. While Iranian minders usher the IAEA through the regime's declared facilities, the Revolutionary Guard could simply buy nuclear fuel or components from rogue scientists in Russia, Pakistan or Libya. The September 2007 revelation that North Korea likely supplied the Syrian government with a nuclear plant underlines this concern.
Michael Rubin
New York Daily News
December 5, 2007
http://www.meforum.org/article/1808
--END NEWS CLIP--
Bruce
I don;t discount the threat that they can try to buy weapons or fuel from those nations. I just pointed out that it is not so easy. I do not think Libya or Syria are serious possibilities and I would hope Russia would not make such an error. North Korea clearly is willing, or was, anyway, but may see Iran differently than they saw Syria. This still seems a very real threat and I am surprised by the report. Also, I do not believe Bush had anything to do with this report as he would rather look good than do well, as we have seen hundreds of times in the last 7 years.
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