Posted on 08/05/2005 11:47:18 AM PDT by JZelle
Just how far is Iran from the bomb? The short and honest answer is: No one knows. Not the United States, despite an intelligence community that swallows up $40 billion a year in taxpayer money. Not the Israelis, who fear they will be on the receiving end. And least of all, the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is only allowed to see those facilities in Iran that the Iranian government chooses to let it see, and has no mandate to investigative weapons programs. The uncertainties and gray areas are so many that virtually any answer about Iranian nuclear weapons development has supporters within the U.S. intelligence community. Therein lies a grave danger to our national security. A recently completed National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran, leaked to a reporter hostile to the administration before its key policy-makers saw it Tuesday, appears to take issue with statements by President Bush and other administration officials who have warned of a coming nuclear showdown with Iran. The published account of the NIE is headlined "Iran is judged 10 years from nuclear bomb" and suggests the intelligence community is backing off earlier, much nearer-term estimates. But the NIE doesn't say that, according to a senior intelligence official and others familiar with the highly classified report. The NIE judged Iran will not be able to produce enough fissile material to make a weapon before "early to mid-next decade," these sources said. "That's virtually identical to earlier timelines" of Iran's nuclear weapons development, they added.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Our CIA is a disgrace. I find it unbelievable that we can't seem to infiltrate into deep levels of the terrorist organization.
Hopefully the post-Tenet area changes that, but so far I've seen little evidence that it has.
"Just how far is Iran from the bomb?"
Delivering or receiving?
"no one knows"? I can hardly believe that various international intelligence agencies don't know.
I guess we'll know when Israel hits it.
Need someone to bring the popcorn when that happens. Fireworks should be plentiful. :)
I'd like to see 'W' take steps to ensure they don't get the bomb in this millennium. I'd feel a lot safer.
I just hope some terrorists don't get their hands on some tomahawk missiles and launch them at various selected sites in Iran.
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