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Israel vows to resist Iran nuclear drive despite US report
Jerusalem (AFP) Dec 4, 2007 Israel on Tuesday charged that Iran was still seeking nuclear weapons despite a US report claiming the contrary, and vowed to continue its diplomatic campaign against its arch-foe. "Iran is probably continuing its programme of producing a nuclear bomb," Defence Minister Ehud Barak told army radio, according to its website. Even if the Islamic republic halted its programme in 2003, as said in a new US intelligence assessment, Israel believed it has since been relaunched. Amid fears that with the new report Israel could find itself isolated in its drive to keep international pressure on Iran over its controversial nuclear programme, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed to push ahead with such efforts. "It is necessary to continue our efforts with our American friends to prevent Iran from obtaining non-conventional weapons," Olmert said on army radio. Barak said the international community must still prepare to face the threat of an Iranian nuclear bomb with sanctions as well as other means, hinting at possible military action. "There are many things to do about Iran's nuclear programme, but one must remember that words do not stop missiles. Action is required in the field of sanctions, of diplomacy and other fields," his office quoted him as saying. Both Olmert and Barak said the US administration had presented them during their visit to Washington last week the new report, which contradicts previous assessments that Iran was developing an atomic bomb. A US National Intelligence Estmate (NEI) -- issued by all 16 US spy agencies -- on Monday claimed that Tehran mothballed its atomic weapons programme four years ago and that US charges about Tehran's nuclear ambitions have been overblown for at least two years. Iran appears "less determined to develop nuclear weapons than we have been judging since 2005" and "the programme probably was halted primarily in response to international pressure," it said. It nevertheless warned that Iran was keeping its nuclear options open by bucking international demands to freeze uranium enrichment, and that it could achieve the technical ability to make a nuclear weapon between 2010 and 2015. US President George W. Bush said Tuesday Iran remains a danger despite the new report and refused to rule out a military attack. "The best diplomacy, effective diplomacy, is one in which all options are on the table," Bush told a press conference. In Israel -- which considers Iran its main enemy and which has urged further sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear ambitions -- the new report was met with widespread concern. "This report is a painful blow to Israeli policy, which has been to try to persuade the world that the Iranian problem needs to be solved urgently before Iran reaches the point of no return," warned the mass-selling Yediot Aharonot. "The urgency for sanctions against Iran is liable to decrease as well. Moreover, Israel's credibility in its campaign against Iran could also be damaged. And when we cry 'Wolf! Wolf!' tomorrow we'll be believed less." Efraim Kam, an Iran specialist at the National Security Studies Institute in Tel Aviv, said the new report made it less likely that the US or Israel would launch a military strike against Iran in the coming year. It "complicates eventually launching a military operation against Iranian nuclear installations and makes it more difficult to justify an Israeli attack," he said. Israel considers Iran its main enemy because of repeated statements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that it should be wiped off the map and Tehran's support for the Palestinian Hamas movement and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. Widely considered the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, Israel has long believed Iran's nuclear programme to be a cover for developing atomic weapons, charges Tehran has repeatedly denied. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
US report on Iran undermines war cry
Washington (AFP) Dec 3, 2007A US intelligence appraisal downplaying Iran's nuclear weapons quest may have undermined arguments for war, but still gives plenty of fodder to the Islamic republic's ardent critics, analysts said. |
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