Diverging reports on Iran’s timetable for acquiring nuclear weapons raise fears of complacency
A report in the Washington Post has cast doubt on the imminence of the threat of a nuclear armed Iran, saying the Islamic republic would not be able to produce weapons-grade uranium until 2013. This contrasts with another report from the New York Times earlier in the week which said Iran could build a nuclear bomb within a year.
The report from the Post was sourced to the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
The great danger here, of course, is that dissemblers will seize upon the longer term estimates in order to justify continued procrastination. Since such intelligence reports are all but impossible to verify, it is surely vital that policy makers act on the assumption that Iran is posed to acquire nuclear weapons sooner rather than later.
Will they? One somehow doubts it.
For a brief round up of the situation, click here:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418551465&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
