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U.S. Army chief: Iran has ability to make nuclear bomb
By News Agencies
Tags: israel news, iran 

The United States believes Iran has obtained enough nuclear material to make a bomb, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said in a televised interview on Sunday.

But U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said hours later that Iran was in fact not close to having a nuclear weapon, which gives the United States and others time to try to persuade Tehran to abandon its suspected atomic arms program.

"They're not close to a stockpile, they're not close to a weapon at this point, and so there is some time," Gates said on NBC television's "Meet The Press."
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Gates' comments followed a televised interview with Mullen who told CNN's "State of the Union" that he believed Iran has enough fissile material to make a nuclear bomb.

"We think they do, quite frankly," Mullen said.

Mullen had been asked about a watchdog report issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency last month that said Iran had built up a stockpile of low-enriched uranium.

The reported stockpile of 1,010 kg would be enough - if converted into highly-enriched uranium - to make a bomb, analysts have said.

"Iran having nuclear weapons, I've believed for a long time, is a very very bad outcome - for the region and for the world," Mullen said during the interview.

The United States suspects Iran of trying to use its nuclear program to build an atomic bomb, but Tehran insists it is purely for the peaceful generation of electricity.

Gates said there has been "a continuing focus on how do you get the Iranians to walk away from a nuclear weapons program" in the Obama and Bush administrations.

U.S. President Barack Obama's administration favors diplomatic engagement with Tehran to defuse the dispute over its nuclear intentions, but has called Iran's nuclear program an "urgent problem" the international community must address.

The challenge, Gates said on Sunday, is finding a balance between sanctions to pressure Iran and incentives for engagement with the United States and Europe. A sharp decline in oil prices since last year increases the chances for a resolution. "There are economic costs to this program; they [the Iranians] do face economic challenges at home."

U.S. spy agencies believe Iran lacks enough weapons-grade uranium to make a bomb, but cannot rule it out, Admiral Dennis Blair, the U.S. director of national intelligence, told Congress last month.

"Iran probably has imported at least some weapons-usable fissile material but [we] still judge it has not obtained enough for a nuclear weapon," he said. "We cannot rule out that Iran has acquired from abroad or will acquire in the future a nuclear weapon or enough fissile material for a weapon."

He reiterated a view that Iran was undertaking two of three activities needed for a nuclear arms program - developing uranium-enrichment technology and nuclear-capable ballistic missile systems. U.S. ntelligence agencies have said Iran suspended developing a nuclear warhead, the third activity.

CIA Director Leon Panetta last week declined to discuss any possible new U.S. policies being considered in this area, saying this is classified.

A watchdog report issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency two weeks ago said Iran had built up a stockpile of nuclear fuel, raising alarm among Western governments that Tehran might have understated by one third how much uranium it has enriched.

The United States suspects Iran of trying to use its nuclear program to build an atomic bomb, but Tehran insists it is purely for the peaceful generation of electricity. Enriched uranium can be used to make nuclear weapons.

U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, which favors diplomatic engagement with Tehran to defuse the dispute over its nuclear intentions, called Iran's nuclear program an "urgent problem" the international community must address.

The IAEA report showed a significant increase in Iran's reported stockpile of low-enriched uranium (LEU) since November to 1,010 kg - enough, some physicists say, for possible conversion into high-enriched uranium for one bomb.

The IAEA later said Iran was cooperating well with UNnuclear inspectors to help ensure it does not again understate the amount of uranium it has enriched, suggesting the uranium accounting shortfall might not have been deliberate evasion.

On Thursday, the United States ambassador to the United Nations said that the Obama administration would seek to end Iran's nuclear ambition and its support for terrorism - comments that drew an immediate rebuke from Iran's UN envoy.

Ambassador Mohammad Khazee said Iran has never and will never try to acquire nuclear weapons and dismissed U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice's allegation that Iran engages in terrorism as baseless and absurd.

Rice brought up Iran at an open meeting of the UN Security Council on Iraq, saying the long-term U.S. commitment to Iraq and the reduction of the U.S. military presence in the country had to be understood in a larger, regional context that included Afghanistan, the Middle East and Iran.

"The United States will seek an end to Iran's ambition to acquire an illicit nuclear capacity and its support for terrorism," Rice said. "It will aim to encourage both Iran and Syria to become constructive regional actors."

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said last week that Israel was "running out of time to address the Iranian threat," and must continue to keep "all options on the table" regarding a potential response.

"The U.S. administration is getting ready to conduct dialogue with Iran. We are convinced that the dialogue must be confined to a short period of time while simultaneously stepping up sanctions," Barak said.

Earlier, at a Labor Party conference in Tel Aviv, Barak explained that the U.S. dialogue must be confined to a short time frame in order to rapidly determine whether "there is or isn't a chance."

Speaking later at an event sponsored by a Jordan valley college in memory of former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Dan Shomron, Barak said that it was "essential for Israel to keep all the options on the table, while standing behind its declarations."

"It is important first to reach an understanding with the new U.S. administration of [President Barack] Obama," Barak continued. "A strategic understanding with the U.S. is crucial, and possible. We must try to renew the negotiations with the Palestinians and with Syria, but we must do so from a position of power while fighting for Israel's interests."

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      1.   IRAN and US should restart relations 17:29  |  HMX 01/03/09
      2.   No need to bomb Iran then 17:37  |  Chris Linthwaite 01/03/09
      3.   Iran, Though Very "Religious", Can, Does, & Will Lie Repeatedly! 17:51  |  Lavi 01/03/09
      4.   Defense Sec Gates: "Iran is far from a nuclear bomb" 17:52  |  PunditRich 01/03/09
      5.   let`s get real 17:54  |  pro-Israel pro-peace 01/03/09
      6.   Iran, Though Very "Religious", Can, Does, & Will Lie Repeatedly! 17:58  |  Lavi 01/03/09
      7.   #1 Linthwaite. Teacher and mentor of young ususpecting children. 18:23  |  H 01/03/09
      8.   And you Ysrael? 18:47  |  Jesus Christ 01/03/09
      9.   The West should wake up! 18:50  |  Jean Van Daem 01/03/09
      10.   Bless Your Heart Pro-Israel Pro-Peace! 18:54  |  Persian Kitty 01/03/09
      11.   Twaddle 19:01  |  Mark Lincoln 01/03/09
      12.   End the Threat of Iranian Extortion 19:02  |  Baruch Gold 01/03/09
      13.   #1 HMX Must be Iranian 19:03  |  Baruch Gold 01/03/09
      14.   #7 H 19:03  |  Chris Linthwaite 01/03/09
      15.   The US should give Iran a nuclear weapon, if they really want one 19:09  |  Murray of Montreal 01/03/09
      16.   #5 Thank you for the information 19:15  |  American 01/03/09
      17.   Lavi really? 19:18  |  Roo 01/03/09
      18.   WHAT`S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT IRAN HAVING AN A-BOMB? 19:26  |  JOHN BROWN 01/03/09
      19.   U.S. Army chief: Iran has ability to make nuclear bomb 19:43  |  imad 01/03/09
      20.   At last, the truth is out! 19:43  |  Manny Goldstein 01/03/09
      21.   to Jean Van Daem 20:05  |  Serenity 01/03/09
      22.   Threats from Israel & US will only hasten Iran towards a bomb! 20:28  |  Tom Clark 01/03/09
      23.   So what? 20:33  |  Ed 01/03/09
      24.   israel 20:39  |  bmx 01/03/09
      25.   Survival of Israel = Attack Iran 21:19  |  Paul T. 01/03/09
      26.   The only question left 21:23  |  Morris Valentine 01/03/09
      27.   Iran doesn`t have the materials 21:58  |  AT 01/03/09
      28.   Best to err on the side of caution 22:13  |  MichaelF 01/03/09
      29.   Contradiction in US Policy 22:16  |  MichaelF 01/03/09
      30.   #1 - HMX 22:18  |  MichaelF 01/03/09
      31.   The IAEA watchdogs bark and the caravan... 22:21  |  Tzfonit 01/03/09
      32.   #21 - Tom Clark 22:22  |  MichaelF 01/03/09
      33.   NBC vs. CNN 22:29  |  robert 01/03/09
      34.   Gates 22:59  |  Brod 01/03/09
      35.   Just like Iraq had WMDs, its all bullsh$it! 23:05  |  Geo 01/03/09
      36.   Israeli hypocrisy on nuclear issue 23:37  |  Le Corbeau 01/03/09
      37.   So israsel dont worry be hapy from Gates 23:40  |  Sabra 01/03/09
      38.   When will Israel have an expo... 23:43  |  Maureen Ann 01/03/09
      39.   A Massive Air Strike Against Iran is On the Horizon 00:52  |  Baruch Gold 02/03/09
      40.   Headlines: NATO STRIKES IRAN 01:01  |  Baruch Gold 02/03/09
      41.   TIME IS RUNNING OUT BEFORE IRAN BECOME REAL MAD 01:29  |  indrajaya 02/03/09
      42.   Imagine if Gates and new administration were to call the shots in 01:58  |  no chamber lane 02/03/09
      43.   loopy foreign policy 02:07  |  Marvin Gaye 02/03/09
      44.   #27 Oh, I agree, MichaelF 02:08  |  Johnboy 02/03/09
      45.   CORBEAU Maureen.Endlessly chanting your mantra changes nothing 03:06  |  PETER SM 02/03/09
      46.   Israel is not stupid 04:20  |  allan 02/03/09
      47.   My Dear Morris Valentine from LA 05:12  |  Persian Kitty 02/03/09
      48.   Beating around the Iranian bush 06:22  |  Fortuna Benmayor 02/03/09
      49.   Well, at least Gates is on top of his brief 07:57  |  Johnboy 02/03/09
      50.   maybe barak should attempt to open his OWN talks with iran... 11:50  |  eric 02/03/09
      51.   The Very Reason....... 13:22  |  SUNDAY 02/03/09
      52.   # 39 baruch 13:23  |  Axel 02/03/09
      53.   Act now 14:13  |  Morris Moisette 02/03/09
      54.   Your neighbours 14:29  |  Jessua Larsson 02/03/09
      55.   MichaelF # 28 Iran does not have the missile system capabilitiesI 15:45  |  American in NY 02/03/09
      56.   Conflicting thoughts and reports. 16:40  |  Stephen. 02/03/09
      57.   #10 Persian KITTY 20:52  |  Big Sur 02/03/09
      58.   Chris Linthwaite please note #14 that Iran is going into election 20:57  |  Big Sur 02/03/09
      59.   36 Le Corbeau no reason in fact rance is within Iranian Missle ca 22:10  |  Big Sur 02/03/09
      60.   # 56 stephen 23:32  |  Axel 02/03/09
      61.   #60.axel. Iran is a Sovereign State. 00:31  |  Stephen. 03/03/09
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