World briefs: U.S. doubts Iran warhead capability

**HorseArcher** · March 11, 2009, 07:23 PM

Iran does not yet have any highly enriched uranium, the fuel needed to make a nuclear warhead, two top U.S. intelligence officials told Congress yesterday, disputing a claim by an Israeli official. U.S. National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Michael Maples said Iran has only low-enriched uranium, which would need to be refined into highly enriched uranium before it can fuel a warhead. Their comments disputed a claim last weekend by Israel's top intelligence military official, who said Iran is now capable of producing atomic weapons.

http://www.newsday.com/services/news...,1872756.story

connecting:

U.S., Israel Disagree on Iran Arms Threat

Iran has not produced the highly enriched uranium necessary for a nuclear weapon and has not decided to do so, U.S. intelligence officials told Congress yesterday, an assessment that contrasts with a stark Israeli warning days earlier that Iran has crossed the "technological threshold" in its pursuit of the bomb.

Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair said that Iran has not decided to pursue the production of weapons-grade uranium and the parallel ability to load it onto a ballistic missile.

"The overall situation -- and the intelligence community agrees on this -- [is] that Iran has not decided to press forward . . . to have a nuclear weapon on top of a ballistic missile," Blair told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Our current estimate is that the minimum time at which Iran could technically produce the amount of highly enriched uranium for a single weapon is 2010 to 2015."

The five-year spread, he explained, is a result of differences in the intelligence community about how quickly Iran could develop a weapon if it rekindled a weapons program it suspended in 2003.

Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the Senate panel that Iran is "keeping open that option."

Iran recently announced its first space launch and said Sunday that it had successfully tested an air-to-surface missile with a 70-mile range. Maples said the launch of the Safir space vehicle "does advance their knowledge and their ability to develop an intercontinental ballistic missiles," but he and Blair said there may be no connection between the country's development of missiles and any ambition to have nuclear weapons.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...pid=sec-nation

**Marie Louise von Preussen** · March 11, 2009, 07:26 PM

I can expect the hordes of victimizers and conspiracy theorists to take that deep there! "Oh noes, ISRAIL manipulates the US" and "Zionist plotters against Iran!!!!1111".

**HorseArcher** · March 11, 2009, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by Voltaire le Philosophe

I can expect the hordes of victimizers and conspiracy theorists to take that deep there! "Oh noes, ISRAIL manipulates the US" and "Zionist plotters against Iran!!!!1111".

Chas Freeman Takes Shots on Way Out

We reported Tuesday that President Obama's candidate to head the National Intelligence Council Chas Freeman had withdrawn his name from consideration amid objections over his criticism of Israel and ties to China and Saudi Arabia.

Well, Freeman is now blasting his pro-Israeli critics. In a statement he said: "The tactics of the Israel lobby plumb the depths of dishonor and indecency and include character assassination, selective misquotation, the willful distortion of the record, the fabrication of falsehoods, and utter disregard for the truth."

The controversy had gone largely unnoticed by many in the mainstream media. The New York Times published its first article on the story today.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,508938,00.html

**Aziel** · March 11, 2009, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by HorseArcher

Chas Freeman Takes Shots on Way Out

We reported Tuesday that President Obama's candidate to head the National Intelligence Council Chas Freeman had withdrawn his name from consideration amid objections over his criticism of Israel and ties to China and Saudi Arabia.

Well, Freeman is now blasting his pro-Israeli critics. In a statement he said: "The tactics of the Israel lobby plumb the depths of dishonor and indecency and include character assassination, selective misquotation, the willful distortion of the record, the fabrication of falsehoods, and utter disregard for the truth."

The controversy had gone largely unnoticed by many in the mainstream media. The New York Times published its first article on the story today.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,508938,00.html

And a brief look at the near thread will tell you what really happened:
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...=235916&page=3

**Aziel** · March 11, 2009, 07:27 PM

Oh, it doesn't have warhead capabillity, yet. Now, that's chillin'!

**HorseArcher** · March 11, 2009, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by Aziel

Oh, it doesn't have warhead capabillity, yet. Now, that's chillin'!

Although analysts broadly agreed that Iran had some low-enriched uranium, the enrichment process to produce weapons-grade material would involve technology that the country is not thought to possess, Mr Blair added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7935947.stm

**Aziel** · March 11, 2009, 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by HorseArcher

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7935947.stm

That is not enough for me.

**HorseArcher** · March 11, 2009, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by Aziel

That is not enough for me.

I've been checking the news frequently about Iran, each day there is a different opinion. What does Iran have to do to satisfy everyone?

**Aziel** · March 11, 2009, 08:31 PM

Originally Posted by HorseArcher

I've been checking the news frequently about Iran, each day there is a different opinion. What does Iran have to do to satisfy everyone?

I don't know, but I'll be setisfied when Iran will chane regime and stop its nucleare program completely.

**Marie Louise von Preussen** · March 11, 2009, 07:30 PM

Ouch. Zing!

Though I refuse to believe the lobby is excessively powerful. What do we have in hand is just a matter of ideological preference which can vanish with time.

EDIT - And besides the guy has ties to Saudi Arabia. You need someone more *unaligned*.

**danzig** · March 11, 2009, 07:35 PM

NEWSFLASH Chas Freeman first appointment to ever be the victim of character assassination. Former Judge Robert Bork calls Freeman's claims without basis or merit.

**persianfan247** · March 11, 2009, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by Voltaire le Philosophe

Ouch. Zing!

Though I refuse to believe the lobby is excessively powerful. What do we have in hand is just a matter of ideological preference which can vanish with time.

EDIT - And besides the guy has ties to Saudi Arabia. You need someone more *unaligned*.

Yeah but Saudi Arabia and Iran don't like each other.

**Martin N** · March 11, 2009, 07:34 PM

So we was told years ago iran had weapons, then they didnt have them, then they had enough uranium, now they dont have enough, seriously who ever believes these kind of people is fickle, dont forget these are the type of people who sold us all the iraq lies, and in essence obama is a copy of bush on foreign policy so dont fall for it again.

**Marie Louise von Preussen** · March 11, 2009, 07:50 PM

No it's more a matter of Saudi Arabia being rabidly anti-Israel in anything.

**Commander_Vimes** · March 11, 2009, 08:01 PM

Originally Posted by Voltaire le Philosophe

No it's more a matter of Saudi Arabia being rabidly anti-Israel in anything.

I swear everyone in the middle-east is "rabidly anti-Israel"..

**Gertrudius** · March 11, 2009, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by Commander_Vimes

I swear everyone in the middle-east is "rabidly anti-Israel"..

Egypt and Jordan not so much, at least from the perspective of their policies toward Israel. I couldn't tell you what their respective populations thought though.

Take it easy,

**shadyrome** · March 11, 2009, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by Commander_Vimes

I swear everyone in the middle-east is "rabidly anti-Israel"..

They are..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Arab-Israeli_War

**Marie Louise von Preussen** · March 11, 2009, 08:16 PM

I swear everyone in the middle-east is "rabidly anti-Israel"..

Saudi Arabia is as a matter of official diplomatic stance.

**Primvs Sextvs Loverlord** · March 11, 2009, 08:41 PM

So:

- Iran has the capability to develop nukes.
- Iran doesn't have the capability to develop nukes.
- Iran is developing nukes.
- Iran has suspended its nuclear operations.
- Iran might have the capability to develop nukes.
- Iran has restarted developing nukes.
- Iran doesn't have the capability or the raw materials to develop nukes.
- Iran must be taken on board for peace in the region.
- Iran is a grave terrorist threat.
- Iran is making nukes.
- Iran can't develop nukes.

Will the White House make up its mind on this please? Seriously... The same "intelligence" that got it all wrong in Iraq and that allowed 19 hijackers to live and plan in the US for months and years is now sending mixed signals about Iran. This is really dangerous.