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Good and Bad News about Iran

[New York Times] Editorial - In the latest intelligence assessment about Iran there's also a lot of worrisome news that must not be overlooked. First, the report says "with high confidence" that Iran did have a secret nuclear weapons program and that it stopped only after it got caught and was threatened with international punishment. Even now, Tehran's scientists are working to master the skills to make nuclear fuel - the hardest part of building a weapon. Anyone who wants to give the Iranians the full benefit of the doubt should read the last four years of reports from UN nuclear inspectors about Iran's 18-year history of hiding and dissembling. Or last month's report, which criticized Tehran for providing "diminishing" information and access to its current program. In one of those ironies that would be delicious if it didn't involve nuclear weapons, an official close to the inspection agency told The Times Tuesday that the new American assessment might be too generous to Iran. The new report is not an argument for anyone to let down their guard when it comes to Iran's nuclear ambitions. What it does say is that some combination of intensified pressures and opportunities might - "if perceived by Iran's leaders as credible" - prompt Tehran to "extend the current halt to its nuclear weapons program."
2007-12-05 01:00:00
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