Hey Mossad1967 - Have not seen you over @ the TM lately. Any updates that you can provide?
U.S. Says Diplomacy Can Resolve Iran Nuclear Crisis
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6047321
...excerpt...
VIENNA (Reuters) - The top U.S. disarmament diplomat said on Monday evidence pointed to an Iranian nuclear weapons program, but that Washington wanted a diplomatic solution and its ultimate goal was not to topple Tehran's government.
"There's no question that U.S. President (George W.) Bush wants to resolve the Iranian issue diplomatically," U.S. Under Secretary of State John Bolton told Reuters.
The United States accuses Iran of secretly developing atomic weapons and wants the International Atomic Energy Agency to report Tehran to the U.N. Security Council for what it says are violations of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"The evidence ... points to an Iranian nuclear weapons program," Bolton said in a telephone interview.
Iran denies wanting the bomb and says its nuclear program is intended solely for the peaceful generation of electricity.
The hawkish Bolton was responding to comments from several analysts at U.S. think-tanks, who said that Washington was not interested in resolving the crisis with Iran.
"They (U.S. hard-liners) are not interested in resolving the crisis or changing regime behavior, they want to change the regime," said Joseph Cirincione, head of non-proliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.
"Evidence that highlights the Iranian threat is promoted, evidence that explains Iranian behavior is belittled," he said.
While criticizing Iran for repeatedly withholding information and hiding activities from the IAEA, the agency's chief Mohamed ElBaradei has said repeatedly "the jury is still out" on whether Iran has a covert military atomic program.
Equipment the IAEA has found in Iran are all "dual-use" and can be used for both military and civilian purposes.
Bolton said that at five quarterly meetings of the IAEA Board of Governors, beginning in June 2003, the United States has consistently pushed the agency to report Iran to the Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions.