Reporting from Washington -- Little more than a year after U.S. spy agencies concluded that Iran had halted work on a nuclear weapon, the Obama administration has made it clear that it believes there is no question that Tehran is seeking the bomb.
In his news conference this week, President Obama went so far as to describe Iran's "development of a nuclear weapon" before correcting himself to refer to its "pursuit" of weapons capability.
Obama's nominee to serve as CIA director, Leon E. Panetta, left little doubt about his view last week when he testified on Capitol Hill. "From all the information I've seen," Panetta said, "I think there is no question that they are seeking that capability."
The language reflects the extent to which senior U.S. officials now discount a National Intelligence Estimate issued in November 2007 that was instrumental in derailing U.S. and European efforts to pressure Iran to shut down its nuclear program.
http://www.latimes.com/...
And as the administration moves toward talks with Iran, President Obama appears to be sending a signal that the United States will not be drawn into a debate over Iran's intent.
"When you're talking about negotiations in Iran, it is dangerous to appear weak or naive," said Joseph Cirincione, a nuclear weapons expert and president of an anti-proliferation organization based in Washington, telling the paper that Obama's unambiguous stance insured that he would not be blamed of "underestimating Iran."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/...
US officials were quoted by the paper (LA Times) as saying the change in policy did not stem from any new evidence but rather from a "growing consensus" that the 2007 report was misleading and did not convey the urgency of the situation - that Iran is on the verge of reaching important milestones towards producing a nuclear bomb.
http://www.jpost.com/...
Often overlooked in the NIE, officials said, was that Iran had not stopped its work on other crucial fronts, including missile design and uranium enrichment. Many experts contend that these are more difficult than building a bomb.
Well, it's worth reading these articles in their entirety. I really don't have much to add as who knows where potential talks with Iran will go and who knows what plans Obama has in mind if they falter. Further economic sanctions are a certainty.
Biden had this to say at the Munich security conference on Feb.7th.
Our administration is reviewing policy toward Iran, but this much is clear: We will be willing to talk," Biden said. "We will be willing to talk to Iran, and to offer a very clear choice: continue down your current course and there will be pressure and isolation; abandon the illicit nuclear programme and your support for terrorism and there will be meaningful incentives.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/...
oh yeah. Hillary had this to say a couple of days ago.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday a final decision on deployment of a missile shield in eastern and central Europe hinged in part on Iran's willingness to curb its nuclear ambitions.
"This is one of those issues that really will rest with the decisions made by the Iranian government," Clinton said of plans to install radar in the Czech Republic and interceptor rockets in Poland to shield against ballistic missiles fired by "rogue" countries like Iran.
"If we are able to see a change in behaviour on the part of the Iranians with respect to what we believe to be their pursuit of nuclear weapons, then we will reconsider where we stand," she told reporters after meeting Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg.
The U.S. missile shield plans have rankled Moscow, which sees the system as a threat and opposes the deployment on the territory of its former communist satellites.
http://uk.reuters.com/...
Well if those missile defense systems are rankling Moscow, perhaps Hillary's using them as incentive for Moscow to join in with stopping Iran from going nuclear.
moon