"So they just had the retained knowledge and could start it up as soon as they wanted to? Like, say, in a year? "
That may not be others' opinion, but it's mine. They found thousands of pages stashed in a Baghdad rose garden that one of the scientists hid from inspectors for 12 years ... people yawn at it "oh, 12 years old". excuse me, but nuclear weapons technology started in the 1940s. If Saddam was within 1 year in 1991, he could have MADE HIMSELF GET WITHIN ONE YEAR AGAIN VERY QUICKLY.
If he was given a free reign in 2003, he'd be making the same noises Iran is making by now. he'd still need centrifuges, but maybe he'd get some from RPNK!
This is another reminder of the real seriousness of the WMD threat that Saddam posed.
Or just buy the enriched uranium.
You are right about the threat he posed. Iraq may have had the KNOWLEDGE to build a bomb for a long time. It was the ability to process the material causing the delay.