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Former CIA Head Explains U.S.-Israel Differences on Iran

(Ynet News) Ronen Bergman interviews Gen. Michael Hayden - Hayden: "Israel and the United States absolutely have shared concerns, such as Iran, the spread of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. In my discussions with Israeli counterparts, we don't usually have any disagreement about the basic facts. Now, Israeli estimates and American estimates are sometimes different, especially when it comes to Iran." Bergman: You're talking about the time scale for their ability to produce a nuclear weapon? Hayden: "Yes. There may be eight data points between the beginning and the conclusion, and each data point has a range that allows us to estimate in various ways exactly where the Iranians are. We Americans might take the middle road on each data point, and at the end of it we'll say, 'they can have a weapon in 18 months.' The Israelis will look at the same information, and come up with a far shorter timeframe. You are a lot closer to the danger. I understand perfectly. If I were an Israeli intelligence officer, I wouldn't split the difference."
2014-09-15 00:00:00
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