US out to sabotage Iran's atom bomb programme
By David Rennie in Washington
(Filed: 09/08/2004)
The Bush administration is trying to find covert ways to sabotage or delay Iran's nuclear weapons programme believing that diplomatic deals struck with European nations have barely slowed Teheran's rush towards the bomb.
Intelligence and administration officials are urgently trying to find secret means "to disrupt or delay as long as we can" the development of an Iranian bomb, one said. The urgency stems, in part, from "increasingly strong private statements" by Israeli counterparts that they may be forced to take military action to stop Iran achieving its dream of a nuclear arsenal.
Iranian missiles could deliver a nuclear payload to Israel or US bases in the gulf
One American official told the New York Times that the Israelis were "doing what they can to delay the Iranian programme, and preparing military options".
It is uncertain that it is possible to stop Iran joining the nuclear club, thanks to the know-how Teheran bought from Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the former Pakistani nuclear chief, US officials told the newspaper.
With his appearances now focused on the November elections, President George W Bush rarely mentions Iran and North Korea in public, although the two nations were founder members of his "axis of evil" with Iraq.
Mr Bush's Democratic challenger, Senator John Kerry, has sought to attack him for ignoring North Korea and Iran and concentrating on Iraq, whose nuclear programme has turned out to have been largely moribund.
Such Democratic charges have not gained much traction with ordinary voters. In Middle America the Iraq war is overwhelmingly viewed as a response to the September 11 attacks and part of a campaign to keep America safe from further terror attacks, rather than as a piece in a larger geopolitical puzzle.
Iran has announced in the past two weeks that it was resuming the construction of centrifuges needed to produce weapons grade uranium, dealing a seemingly fatal blow to a deal brokered by European nations last year, to limit Iran's nuclear research.
The national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, said US leadership had brought the world - including the United Nations watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Authority - round to seeing the menace of a nuclear-armed Iran.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/09/wiran09.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/08/09/ixworld.html
Israel: Diplomacy has slowed down Iran's nuke program
By Aluf Benn
International efforts to halt Iran's nuclear program through diplomacy have achieved some success, albeit far from complete, and should therefore be continued, senior Israeli security officials believe.
This contradicts the American assessment reported in yesterday's New York Times, which is that diplomatic efforts to halt Iran's nuclear program have accomplished nothing.
The Israeli assessment, which was presented to the cabinet on July 21, is that the diplomatic pressure has delayed Iran's progress toward nuclear weapons by about two years. Israel now believes that Iran will reach the "point of no return," meaning the ability to produce enriched uranium for nuclear weapons on its own, only in 2007. Previously, it had believed that Iran would cross the nuclear threshold in 2005.
Israel attributes this deferral to the diplomatic efforts of the United States and the European "troika" (Britain, France and Germany). However, it also believes that the diplomatic pressure has recently been eased, due to the upcoming American elections and Iran's attempts to buy time. One result of this letup is Iran's recent announcement that it will resume making centrifuges for uranium enrichment. That announcement led to Israel's decision to intensify its warnings about the Iranian threat.
Currently, the diplomatic effort is experiencing difficulties. Ten days ago, Iranian representatives insisted on their right to enrich uranium at a meeting in Paris with "troika" representatives. The Europeans demanded a renewed suspension of the enrichment program, as Iran promised last year, but did not issue any ultimatums or threaten sanctions.
Next month, the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors will hold another discussion on Iran. The Americans are pressing for a decision to transfer the issue to the UN Security Council, which can impose sanctions, but it is not clear that there is support for this move.
Israeli sources said yesterday that The New York Times report on the failure of diplomatic efforts was an attempt to pressure both the Bush administration and Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry to back stronger diplomatic pressure on Iran. Israel's impression is that Kerry would seek dialogue with Iran if elected, while Bush does not want to open another Middle Eastern front until he knows whether he will win reelection.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/462038.html