Ex-CIA chief Michael Hayden: "Only the U.S." can strike Iran nuclear sites effectively

Former CIA director Gen. Michael Hayden speaks at a conference in Washington, Feb. 19, 2011.

/ Getty

(CBS News) LONDON - Former CIA director Michael Hayden has told an Israeli newspaper that the Jewish state is not capable of carrying out and sustaining military action against Iran's nuclear sites without U.S. support, and that there is still time before a decision on any such strike needs to be made.

"I do not underestimate the Israeli talent, but geometry and physics tell us that Iran's nuclear program would pose a difficult challenge to any military," Hayden told the widely-circulated Haaretz daily in an interview published Tuesday, adding that, "Israel's resources are more limited than those of the U.S."

"There is no absolute certainty that all targets are known," he told the paper, suggesting that Iran's alleged efforts to conceal a nuclear weapons program may be outwitting even the world's most advanced espionage agencies.

He reiterated previous comments by American officials who have said a single bombing raid would not be able to inflict significant damage on Iran's heavily-fortified nuclear sites. "They will have to be revisited - which only the U.S. Air Force would be able to do."

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In what amounted to his most dire warning to Israel's leaders - who have been warned repeatedly for months by Washington against taking unilateral military action - Hayden said any strike on Iran, "will only set the Iranians back some time and actually push them to do that which it is supposed to prevent, getting nuclear weapons."

Hayden said that from the evidence available, he believes the Iranians will not achieve the capability to begin work on a nuclear weapon until "2013 or 2014," and thus no decision on military action by either Israel or the U.S. will be needed until then, though he said it was "probably true that the so-called 'window' regarding effective action is closing."

In depth

Iran's nuclear sites »

The United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA, issued a new report on Iran's nuclear program last week, which raised concerns about new centrifuges installed at the well-fortified Fordo site, and suspicions that Iran was secretly "scrubbing" the Parchin military complex of evidence - but crucially it found that the Islamic Republic was still far away from obtaining the quantity of high-enriched uranium needed to build a bomb.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a hardliner who has made it clear his government is running out of patience as Iran continues its nuclear development, called this week for a "clear red line" by the international community, saying Tehran was using the ongoing international divide over the nuclear standoff to "gain time" to continue its work.

"Iran does not see international determination to stop its nuclear project," Netanyahu lamented to his cabinet.

In spite of the Israeli government's impatience, the Obama administration - while it has vowed to "have Israel's back" in the standoff with Iran - is strongly urging Netanyahu to resist a strike, at least until after the U.S. elections in November.

Meanwhile, one of Iran's most powerful non-state allies, the Islamic militant group Hezbollah, warned that any strike on Iran's nuclear sites - by Israel or the U.S. - would be met with "huge" retaliation.

"Iran will not forgive a strike against its nuclear facilities," Nasrallah said in rare live television interview. "The Zionist entity (Israel) will not be the only target. American bases in the region will be targets, too," he warned, referring to American bases in the Middle East which are in range of Iran's conventional missiles.

"America takes responsibility for what Israel does," he told a Lebanese television channel.

[heinzng1]

All Israel's histories which has been using other people hands to kill someone for Jews.
The first one was Christ. Jews stay out side to collect money.

[Truth_is_Bitter]

The whole episode of 9/11 was staged by Israelis and CIA, The WTC buildings were destroyed by a controlled demolision system, where detonators where place inside the structure of Twin towers.


No modern building can collapse to ground due to impact of planes alone,

If you still believe the building collapsed due to planes, pls explain how the WTC7 the third building collapsed when no plane hit it ???...

Israelis & CIA staged 9/11 drama as they required a reason to wage war with Afghanistan & Iraq for the safety of Israel in the Middleeastern region.

Adolf Hitler said "If you tell a LIE big enough, and continue repeating it, people will eventually believe it, as they cannot comprehend to understand that someone can ever tell such a big Lie unless it was a Truth"..

"The Bigger the Lie the Bigger chance to be believed".

[buckn]

If and until a star is sewn on the US flag representing Israel as the 51st state, the US IS NOT responsible of anything that Israel does. For Iran to make that assumption would be a grievous mistake.

[radioceleb99]

The US and Israel are on the same page. Anything to the contrary is a Red Herring. There will be US support for an attack, but it will be limited to military defense infrastructure and nuclear facilities.

The administration's is letting Israel take the lead in beating the war drums. The Israeli government is engaged in psychological game of Chinese Water Torture aimed at ratcheting up the rhetoric on both sides.

The risk in attacking Iran has nothing to do with the attack itself. Obama understands that sanctions are unlikely to move the current regime to the bargaining table. The tighter sanctions against Iran are designed to impair, degrade and slow their ability to repair their physical infrastructure post attack. The longer the sanctions are in place, the more degraded and weakened Iran will be on the day of the attack. A substantially weakened infrastructure is central to degrading Iran's ability to project retaliation against their gulf neighbors in the weeks and months that follow.

[peterlounsbury]

Red Herrings are distractions from the point, and the point that if they are successful in finishing facilities that are deeper underground than the ability to strike it, Iran gets all the time it needs to finish what they've started. There is a Red Herring in this mix though and that is entertaining misguided arguments such as you presented because they are nothing to distractions to help the US President in a second term. You peopl eare either amzingly ignorant, or willfully so. Does it matter? I'm sure it does at this point.

[airforce47]

Greetings All Posters & Readers,

Michael Hayden's comments I think are incomplete. He knows well enough that what Israel actually possesses are more than 400 nuclear weapons. What we don't know is the exact composition of their stockpile and exact delivery systems. However, it's very possible they have stealth delivery systems and weapons as high as 2 megatons or more.

If Iran's ambitions are not curbed Israel will at some point attack in self defense. They are very conscious of their own military limits and my guess is their plan will be similar to Pearl Harbor.

Iran will be officially notified of Israel's declaration of war just minutes before their weapons hit. When the dust clears enough of Iran's nuclear infrastructure will be destroyed to guarantee it will be decades before they can try it again.

If Iran retaliates in any way Israel will send in a second wave which will destroy Iran's ability to make any kind of war on anyone. In short there's going to be a lot of losers in this coming conflict. And the real losers will be the innocent victims incinerated by nuclear weapons.

[timmaes23]

No one Denies the High cost of WAR and the American people will stand behind another one as proven by 9-11-01 and Iraq All preperations for the "biggest war". your comment fails to point out the players on the global stage many countries will be involved and all....losers

[DovBenMen]

Repubs_R_Fiscal_Liberals: Given that he took a pass and didn't deny it, debating rules (you profess to enjoy debating) say that he's conceded the point .. in which case the accusation that you came running and apologized when a self-described Nazi was on the ropes stands .. and it is you that should consider apologizing for being in the wrong .. and let's assume, for grace's sake, it was 'unwittingly', shall we?

[DovBenMen]

Aah, now do I sense your being disingenuous? Here, I'll remind you of what you've already seen and railed against:
"@http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57475663/bulgaria-bus-bombers-id-remains-a-mystery/
by USAB4Zionism July 20, 2012 8:22 AM EDT
I'm a Nazi, KKK activist, and uneducated fool, like you, infant try man, and I blame Bishop Robme."

Ergo, you've lost. QED

Now, about that apology you were gathering your stones for ...

[DovBenMen]

Repubs_R_Fiscal_Liberals: Yep, now you are being disingenuous. No problem. Consider yourself 'prey'.

[john5673]

Why Israel should worry of Iran's bomb? When she has more than 200 latest nuke bombs, Bunker buster bombs from the USA at free of cost; American iron clad guarantee in case of any nuke attack of any one including Iran and after imposing iron fist sanctions on Iran to make almost all Iranians to suffer.
Looks like; Israel is not interested in resolving the issue peacefully allowing face saving solution to Iran but would like to take full advantage of the issue in crippling Iran and changing the regime more favorable to Israel and converting the entire middle east in to blood bath of Shias and Sunnis and Arabs and Persians. But Obama and his advisers do understand that America is paying very heavy price of Iraq fiasco and now not in a mood to repeat it again in Iran.

[taylorsucram]

First of all the Israelis wrote the book on TERRORISM, just ask any graduate of West Point or Annapolis. The Irgun bombed the British embassy in Rome. They killed many British people in terrorist attacks even on British soil. They commtted the Deir Yassin massacre. They bombed the King David Hotel building in Jerusalem killing 91 people of various nationalities. Israeli PM Menachem Begin was an Irgun leader and member of Likud and a Terrorist! The Lehi was another terrorist group, an offshoot of the Irgun, they committed heinous acts of terror. They worked with the Nazis to bring European Jews to Palestine in return for the expulsion of the British. After the UN pulled the partition plan, the UN sent an envoy, Count Folke Bernadotte, to assess the conflict. Lehi murdered him. THIS IS DOCUMENTED HISTORY !

Secondly, this stupid claim that Iran wants to destroy Israel is based on a mis-translation of a single sentence by Ahmadinejad in 2005. How long are Israelis going to drag this myth out. The comment was directed at the current regiem in Israeel, not its people! Further we can't tell another nation, particularly one we have labeled a member of the Axis-of-Evil and invaded their neighbor how to protect their citizens. If Israel has a nuke then Iran should have one. After all, Iran did not pass nuclear technology to Apartheid South Africa, Israel did! I suggest you Google "Vela Incident". Israel won't even let in the IAEA inspectors. It's estimated that they have well over 100 nukes and tells the UN and Red Cross to Go To Hell. Israel is a criminal regime, not in the least interested in peace. The following are the United Nations Security Council resolutions Israel has utterly ignored since 1948 to 2009:

UNSC Res - 57, 89, 93, 100, 101, 106, 111, 119, 171, 228, 237, 242, 248, 250, 251, 252, 256, 259, 262, 265, 267, 270, 271, 279, 280, 285, 298, 313, 316, 317, 332, 337, 347, 425, 427, 446, 450, 452, 465, 467, 468, 469, 471, 476, 478, 484, 487, 497, 501, 509, 515, 517, 518, 520, 521, 573, 592, 605, 607, 608, 611, 636, 641, 672, 673, 681, 694, 726, 799, 904, 1073, 1322, 1402, 1403, 1405, 1435, 1544, 1701, 1860.

These relate to Israel's violations of international law, UN Charter, Geneva Conventions and for acts of international terrorism. Israel has no "leg to stand on".

[TimeToEvolve]

When are we going to get sick of these war profiteering maniacs and wipe them off the face of the earth? Or at least put them on an island where they can't kill again?

[timmaes23]

Cant they are the heads of entire countries and alliances... i hope you don't mean Israel?

[taylorsucram]

PAY ATTENTION: Israel is a welfare state! Israel is now weaning itself off socialist-influenced policies that once brought 400% inflation and 60% income-tax brackets. The fact of the matter is that tons of Israelis simply choose not to work because government support allows them to do so. Nearly 65% of ultra-Orthodox Jews don't work, government figures show. The non-employment rate for ultra-Orthodox men has tripled since 1970. The nation's debt to GDP ratio already stands at 78% according to the CIA World Factbook, which is pretty close to France's already worrisome 80%. The annual $3.5 billion in U.S. grants and additional $2 billion in U.S. loan guarantees for Israel amount to more than $1,000 per Israeli. No developing country receives anything remotely approaching total U.S. aid to Israel.

If the U.S. turns off the money spigot ... Israel will "drown in debt". What does the U.S. get for its money? Our money train to Israel has resulted in Israel being caught spying on us and stealing state secrets many, many times over and the deaths of over 37 American naval personnel when Israeli Jets knowingly fired on the American Naval vessel USS Liberty and its life-boats during the so-called "6-day war". They receive 10's of Billions of Dollars in loans and aid that they never have to pay back and when you add this amount to the stealing of 10's of Millions of Dollars worth of "PELL Grants" during the Clinton administration perhaps you can at least understand why President Obama (and many Americans) are fed up with Israel and their "Tail wagging the Dog" syndrome.

[TimeToEvolve]

Only the imperial rogue terrorist state of America can make everything right. Only we are the good guys. Or who we say are the good guys until we no longer need them. Like Saddam Hussein, Osama bin laden, etc.