By Cliff Montgomery – Mar. 13th, 2009
Iran still does not possess the essential material needed to create a nuclear weapon, two leading U.S.intelligence officers told a Senate panel on Tuesday. This disputes an Israeli official’s claim that Iran now hashighly enriched uranium.
Dennis Blair and Lt. Gen. Michael Maples, the U.S. National Intelligence Director and Defense IntelligenceAgency (DIA) Director respectively, stated on Tuesday that Iran only possesses low-enriched uranium, whichcannot fuel a nuclear warhead.
Iran would have to refine its relatively lower grade nuclear material into highly enriched uranium before such asubstance may serve as fuel for a nuclear weapon. Both officials agreed there is no indication that such anenhancement has occurred.
Their statements contrast with a charge made last week by Israel’s leading military intelligence officer, whoclaimed that Iran now has the technology to produce atomic weapons.
Israeli Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin’s claim may be provocative, but U.S. intelligence estimates contradict it.American intelligence officials are adamant that Iran cannot possibly produce such a weapon until 2010 at theearliest, and a number of U.S. analysts add that Iran probably cannot hope to create such a weapon until atleast 2015.
DIA Director Maples told senators that while American and Israeli officials are reviewing the same facts, theyare arriving at vastly different conclusions.
“The Israelis are far more concerned about [a nuclear Iran],” Maples said to the Senate Armed ServicesCommittee.
Maples’ statement may be harsh, but it is almost certainly the heart of the matter. Fear can make evenhardened government officials see things which just aren’t there.
