Assessing Iran's Nuclear Program

U.S. Intelligence Holds Firm That Iranian Nuclear Bomb Is Possible By 2010, Likely By 2015

(CBS)  By Sheila MacVicar with Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad and David Martin in Washington. Additional information from the Assosicated Press.

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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad issued a warning on Wednesday to major world powers, saying they could not deprive Iran of its right to nuclear technology by issuing U.N. resolutions.

But the President refused to say what new progress Iran had made in its efforts to master nuclear technology and uranium enrichment, telling a news conference in Teheran "you will have good news soon, God willing."

In January, Ahmedinejad announced that 3,000 additional centrifuges, used to enrich uranium, would be installed by May of this year at the underground enrichment plant at Natanz.

The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported this February that two cascades linking 164 centrifuges had been installed at the underground facility and another two cascades were, at that time, under construction, for a total of nearly 700 centrifuges. IAEA inspectors returned to Natanz last week and work there has been on-going. Negotiations, described by diplomats as 'highly sensitive' are underway to get Iran to agree to additional, and continuous monitoring using remote cameras controlled by the agency.

Natanz is described by some diplomats as 'Iran's nuclear fortress.' Satellite imagery shows an above ground pilot plant, and a concealed entrance to the vast, and still, mostly empty enrichment hall, located more than seventy feet underground and designed to withstand aerial strikes. It has the capacity to hold more than 50,000 centrifuges. Iran kept the existence of the Natanz facility, and the extent of a twenty year covert effort to acquire nuclear technology, secret until they were revealed by an opposition group in 2002.

Iran insists it is interested in nuclear technology only to produce electricity. While acknowledging Iran's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, governments – including the U.S., those of Iran's neighbours, Europe and Russia – remain very concerned that Iran intends to covertly build nuclear weapons. Iran has defied U.N. Security Council resolutions which demand that it suspend all enrichment activity and co-operate fully with the IAEA. The IAEA, in a recent report to its' Board of Governors, says that Iran has 'continued to operate single machines, as well as the 10, 24 and 164 machine cascades' at an above ground pilot plant.

Sources familiar with the Iranian program told CBS News that although new centrifuges had been installed, they were not yet operational. Nuclear fuel for enrichment at the underground plant remains under IAEA seal, and no enrichment has been attempted or taken place.

In spite of the installation of additional centrifuges, CBS News has learned that neither the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, nor the Director of National Intelligence have changed their estimates of when Iran could have a nuclear weapon. The time frame most often mentioned is 2012-2015. And senior diplomats, security experts and officials familiar with investigations by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog into the Iranian program have told CBS News that Iran faces a number of technical difficulties in expanding its nuclear program and remains five to ten years away from becoming potentially armed with nuclear weapons.

In an interview with NPR in September, 2006 (after Iran had begun to operate the pilot enrichment facility), the Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte characterized the U.S. assessment this way: "This is a judgement that was formed over a period of time based on all sources of intelligence that we have, and I think those basic pieces remain in place today, both the determination to acquire such a capability and the efforts that are underway to achieve that."

[zootallures2]

If I'm not mistaken, Iran has the second largest Jewish population. Also, Ahmadinejad donated something like a million dollars to a Synagogue in Tehran.

[randalds]

I wonder, do "I hate Bush" t-shirts protect from Iranian nuke weapons?
Posted by badaxmofo at 06:27 PM : Apr 04, 2007

Oh of course they will. They'll protect us from any serious credible threat of a nuclear attack from Iran BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ONE!!! I have my favorite one that has a picture of the as*shole Bush and it says "worst president EVER!" and I feel just as safe from an Iranian nuclear attack wearing that as wearing nothing at all.

[fredgrad2000]

Israeli propaganda led us to WMD!? OK..how about UN inspections, Saddam's use of them in the past and his deceptions of legal UN inspections, our intelligence (led by Bill Clinton appointed CIA director), French Intelligence, British Intelligence, Russian Intelligence, Chinese Intelligence...it wasn't an Israeli conspiracy!! Was it wrong? Yep, but to blame Israel sounds like something our "gift bestowing religious man of the people" Ahmadinejad would say...With all the talk of the warmongering Bush and AIPAC, etc. in this, let's remember who just kidnapped British soldiers and that its Iran killing our troops right now in Iraq, not the other way around...I'm not for military action against Iran at this time, but to blame Israel and our administration for distrusting the "peaceful" nuclear intentions of the Central Bank of Terrorism and a country who's official meetings start with chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" (and newly "Death to Britain") is idiocy.

[grazinggoat]

Why are LIBS always in defense of America's enemies?
Posted by MBCSMITH

-No doubt this case can really return against you MBCSMART, why are you saying we're defending the enemy? We're just stating historical abd verifiable facts realted to the great capacity of GWalking-LiarBush and his AIPAC-Oil&Guns paranoid-complexed-cronies, of generating lies... tons of them.

[book54552134]

Israel passed around the same type of propaganda about Iraqi WMD prior to the American invasion of Iraq. Israel will agressively assist the Bush Administration in regard to Iran if it is the wish of the Bush Administration to do so.
The point is, people should not believe anything that comes out of this cabal. They have been lying to us often and consistantly from the get-go.

[mbcsmith]

own use. I mean after all do you think the Western world well help (or even give a sh*it) about the Middle-East once the black gold is gone?
Posted by RandalDS at 03:02 PM : Apr 04, 2007


Why are LIBS always in defense of America's enemies?

[randalds]

They have all that oil! What do they need nuclear power for! Huh! Huh! Got you there! I'm so fu*cking smart!".
Posted by RandalDS

-There you go, fricking smart...
Posted by grazinggoat at 03:25 PM : Apr 04, 2007

LOL!

[grazinggoat]

They have all that oil! What do they need nuclear power for! Huh! Huh! Got you there! I'm so fu*cking smart!".
Posted by RandalDS

-There you go, fricking smart...

[Syndicate]

Looks like some one has their panties in a bunch.

[randalds]

Of course we will shortly get to see republicans who believe they have a "sudden insight" asking the same da*mn fool question "Oh yeah! They have all that oil! What do they need nuclear power for! Huh! Huh! Got you there! I'm so fu*cking smart!".

Yes, Iran has a lot of oil, but it's much more profitable for them to sell it on the world market then to use it for their own power needs. Besides (and try to follow me here Bushies) someday, sooner then later, they're going to run out of oil (it does run out you know) and they'll need nuclear power for their own use. I mean after all do you think the Western world well help (or even give a sh*it) about the Middle-East once the black gold is gone?

[grazinggoat]

CBS just got the order to publish this krap in order to turn the situation in favor of a military move, after the great acceptance by bloggers and readers, of a nice move done by AhMandyN'Jade.

Masoud Zaribafan visit the Natanz uranium enrichment facilities some 200 miles south of the capital Tehran on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2006. (AP)

Of course easy thing to dig the dead back and show it to public, as shown on the pic dated back to February 15, 2006, 2006, 2006.
Who issued this order to you CBS?
The evilization should go on. Non stop...