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Nuclear Drive a Casualty of Iran's Turmoil?

[Los Angeles Times] Borzou Daragahi - Iran's political crisis could prevent the nation from making any swift move to ratchet up its nuclear program, said analysts and officials, giving President Obama more time to grapple with the issue. The Obama administration, concerned that Tehran is seeking to amass the materials needed to manufacture nuclear weapons, set an informal deadline of September for Iran to respond positively to an offer to discuss the matter rather than risk new economic sanctions. "The infighting in Tehran has sent up a smoke screen that further confuses the picture from the outside," said a U.S. official in Washington who is involved in formulating nuclear policy. For now, most Iran watchers agree that Tehran will not only be unable to respond positively to the Obama administration's offer of talks, but also is in too much political disarray to make the major decisions necessary to build a nuclear weapon. Such steps would include further enriching its uranium supply to weapons grade, or constructing controversial new facilities for speeding up the process.
2009-08-28 08:00:00
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