Report: U.S. assures Israel nuclear Iran a year away
White House says assessment that it will take at least a year before Iran develops nuclear weapons dims prospects of a preemptive Israeli strike.
By Haaretz Service and Reuters Tags: Israel news Iran nuclear Israel nuclear Iran USThe Obama administration has assured Israel that Iran's process of converting nuclear material into a working weapon would take at least a year, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
 |
A nuclear reactor in Bushehr, Iran. |
| Photo by: Bloomberg |
The newspaper cited White House officials saying they believed the assessment had dimmed prospects of a preemptive Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear facilities within the next year.
Israel, widely assumed to have its own atomic arsenal, has hinted at military strikes, as a last resort, to deny Iran the means to make a nuclear bomb. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.
The United States, the European Union and the UN Security Council have imposed sanctions on Iran over a nuclear program the West suspects is aimed at developing atomic weapons.
"We think that they have roughly a year dash time," Gary Samore, President Barack Obama's top adviser on nuclear issues, was quoted as saying, referring to the key question of how long it would take Iran to convert existing stocks of low-enriched uranium into weapons-grade material.
U.S. and Israeli officials now believe Iran would not be close to that stage anytime soon, the Times reported, citing administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Earlier this week, former U.S. envoy to the United Nations John Bolton told the Fox Business Network that Israel was unlikely to attack Iran's nuclear reactor in Bushehr, which will soon be online, adding that the Russian-built facility represents a major step forward for Iran's nuclear weapons aspirations.
Israeli intelligence officials had argued that Iran could complete such a race for the bomb in months, while U.S. intelligence agencies have come to believe in the past year the timeline is longer.
Last week, Russia said it will begin loading nuclear fuel into the reactor of Iran's first atomic power station on August 21, an irreversible step marking the start-up of the Bushehr plant after nearly 40 years of delays.
Russia agreed in 1995 to build the Bushehr plant on the site of a project begun in the 1970s by German company Siemens, but delays have haunted the e1 billion project and diplomats say Moscow has used it as a lever in relations with Tehran.
Despite U.S. criticism of the plan, Russia's nuclear chief said Thursday that the startup of Iran's first nuclear power plant will demonstrate that Iran is entitled to peaceful use of nuclear energy under international supervision.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
Man up. Go a-viking
Why is Israel so quiet? Could it be that the Mossad had hijacked working parts and replaced them with faulty ones? The perfect deniability for the blame to fall on N. Korea, China, or Russia for bogus electronics to sabotage the whole nuclear plant.
Has been the same story for decades, will be the same story for decades to come.
The americans also said that saddam had weapons of mass destruction among other things!!!! How creditable are they?
Yes, they can. Especially with the direct peace talks on the table. Bombing Iran would be a great excuse for Israel to stop those talks.
I hope Iran to have nuke, that is the only way to balance the apartheid regime (Israel) aggressiveness.
I can't believe the anti Israel sentiment on this supposedly Jewish website. So sad that Israel is surrounded by the 11th century throat cutters that would kill every Jew given the chance.
A state run by lunny zionists is far more dangerous!
“Russia did not build the station in Bushehr so that somebody could bomb it,”
I guess it's acceptable. I've heard that nonsense before. Peres calls it "constructive" ambiguity. Why all the protests when the shoe is on the other foot? Cosmic joke....yes? Salaam/Shalom
The Obama administration has assured Israel that Iran's process of converting nuclear material into a working weapon would take at least a year, The New York Times reported on Thursday. Sure the Americans and Iranians all sat down over some coffee and decided that it would take at least a year to convert the Nuclear material into a working weapon.
Are you willing to trust its intelligence?
We have heard varying estimates from the UN to the US to Martians. It doesnt matter, Iran will destrpy the world, so better to destroy Iran by all and any means neccessary to avoid the end of life as we know it,.
Is Netanyahu prepared to go it alone and attack Bushehr unilaterally and absorb the fallout that will undoubtedly occur? Or will Iran have access to the nuclear power that is guaranteed it under the NPT? Or was Netanyahu just full of hot air when he made a pledge central to his election campaign to have a war with Iran? Say what you like about Olmert but at least he had the balls to sort out the Syrian Nuclear Programme. What's up BiBi you chicken?
Despite the statements of American officials, I would not bet my touchas that the Iranians only want fissionable materials for peaceful uses. Ahmadinejad and his minions have made their intentions quite clear. Anyone who does not get the picture must be hopelessly naive. I recognize that nuclear energy does not directly translate into nuclear weapons, but in Iran's unique case, I would not bet a shekel on it. Even if Iran's intentions are strictly legitimate, anyone with an elementary knowledge of nuclear physics knows that the point where the 'nuclear materials cycle' is most vulnerable is the recycling stage. When fissionable materials are recycled, they are most susceptible to diversion for weapons use by terrorists. Iran lacks the infrastructure to guarantee secure recycling protections. Allowing Iran to have fissionable materials is akin to letting vixen guard the henhouse. No thanks!
A nifty calculator giving the costs and quantities for reactor fuel is at http://www.wise-uranium.org/nfcjol.html Bear in mind, Iranian costs of enrichment will be higher because of the low SWU per year of it's centrifuges (.9 compared to 2.0-4.0). For an overview of the technology see http://www.ieer.org/reports/uranium/enrichment.pdf
The efficiency of enrichment systems is measured in Separative Work Units (SWU). The current generations of Iranian centrifuges (mostly IR-1) is very inefficient and technical problems cause much down-time. The SWU of the cascade enriching Uranium from 3.5% to 19.75% for the Tehran Research Reactor fuel is .9. To convert 3.42 tonnes of natural Uranium into 15 kg (1 bomb) requires 3,073.9 SWU. Try the enrichment calculator at http://www.wise-uranium.org/nfcue.html Then check out the last IAEA report http://www.iaea.or.at/Publications/Documents/Board/2010/gov2010-28.pdf You will discover that Iran's enrichment program isn't going so well, and is far from producing a bomb, much less enough to destroy Israel. Moreover Iran would have to change it's set-up and start enriching to a much higher level than it has yet achieved. Virtually all enrichment has been to 3.5%, a little has been to 19.75%, all reactor fuel grades. A Uranium implosion bomb would require around 95% enriched Uranium. Iran is no where near a breakout capability at this time.
This assurance brought to you by the same boys that assured the World that Sadam had weapons of mass destruction. You can trust their word if you want. They have little to lose but their reputations and they have already lost that ! What Israel needs is stealth aircraft NOW, not in 2015. Tactical nukes may have to be used with long-range missiles. 20 of them should make a statement.
A u s official, knows nothig a bunch of paper tigers pretending to be super powers, good at starting wars and never winning or finishing one
and bomb the plant,,,, we will have WW3,,,,,,
we will all see Israel crawling on its knees to the Iranians claiming they never were hostile to Iran.
The Iranian Regime with its growing, abusive military bite over its citizens at home, needs more prominent canines when dealing with international bodies, and having a nuclear arsenal with the associated long-range delivery systems in their diplomatic makeup is the proud profile they will feel most dignified in during any negotiations. Topping their foreign policy agenda is the eradication of the Jewish State by proxy war initially and later with backup by the Iranian motherland, if necessary. Israel is the first slated to face their wrath with others to follow so it is all Israel that should be praying fervently for wisdom and G-d's favor to disrupt and neutralize the evil designs of its enemies.
The Iranian Regime with its growing, abusive military bite over its citizens at home, needs more prominent canines when dealing with international bodies, and having a nuclear arsenal with the associated long-range delivery systems in their diplomatic makeup is the proud profile they will feel most dignified in during any negotiations. Topping their foreign policy agenda is the eradication of the Jewish State by proxy war initially and later with backup by the Iranian motherland, if necessary. Israel is the first slated to face their wrath with others to follow so it is all Israel that should be praying fervently for wisdom and G-d's favor to disrupt and neutralize the evil designs of its enemies.
Answer: say they were one year away. He is hopeless.
Time to go a-viking. The US is busy.
I guess Israelis now have 12 months to start packing-up their belongings instead of 6. What a ridiculous situation. Iran's facilities should have been taken out ages ago.
The USA says Israel has nothing to worry about.Iran is one year awayfrom making the Bomb ! One year You hear that !................Just like the evaluation of N.Korea ?
Iran said yesterday that the Israeli-American empty propaganda regarding attacking Iran had been repeated plenty to the point where it became boring and without any real value.
Get it right.
The result is nukes, although the ayatollahs unfortunately don't disappear in the reaction.
Randy, you don't understand. Israel WANTS Iran to have nuclear weapons. If there's no crisis, they'll invent one just to keep Israel in the headlines.
Don't trust US assurances.Period.
Where are the Swedish troops? How many hundred thousand troops are you putting up, Swede? How many of your kids are you willing to have die for the cause? For that matter, how many hundred thousand Israeli ground and airborne troops would be committed? Based on the Iranian population, a million troops would be needed. Just for the initial assault. Searching the country would take a lot more, almost double. So can Sweden and Israel and maybe Germany put a million combat troops in the field, and then add support staff. Maybe the US can spare a general officer. We can't spare anybody else. The American Neocons can join the French Foreign Legion.
You ever been to the Strait of Hormuz? You can stand on a boat in the middle and see Oman on one side and Iran on the other. It's VERY small. It doesn't take a military genius to block it. Try clearing chunks of metallic debris and chemicals from the Strait when you can't even contain the Gulf spill. On day one, the entire world's ME oil supply will be choked. Oil will instantly shoot up to 200-300 per barrel. Gasoline will go up to 30-80 dollars per gallon. The economy will be brought to its knees. The US is telling Israel: you have no reason to attack as a face-saving measure for the above.
The US would sell Israel to the Saudis for a barrel of oil. Yes, the US government claims they are friends of Israel - but it's all about oil. When ME oil gets really scarce, Washington will throw Israel to the wolves. The US is NOT to be trusted! From Marblehead, MA USA.
the US casts you adrift. Every other country has to stand on it's own two feet. Don't give me the old diatribe about being surrounded by hostile entities either, make concessions, make peace, that's the only way out for your piddling little nation.
Obama was all for giving Israel a spanking until they reminded him of all the money American Jews gave to his campaign, he changed his tune real quick like.
What nation wouldn't...do what's necessary to survive...the difference here is that the US pays for its own defense...and Israel wants the US to subsidize theirs...seemingly forever. Who was it that said: "I believe there can be no greater tribute to America's long-standing economic aid to Israel than for us to be able to say: We are going to achieve economic independence. We are going to do it. In the next four years, we will begin the long-term process of gradually reducing the level of your generous economic assistance to Israel." The person delivering those words... Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing a joint session of Congress in 1996. In 1996 foreign aid to Israel was $3.000,000,000...this year foreign aid to Israel was $3,000,000,000. Sometimes it is so easy to see exactly who it is that cannot be trusted. If Israel no longer values US friendship...fly solo!
Israeli politicians have sold out the US more than once. We have little reason to trust them either.. Look at Pollard.
when obama is near theres nuthin to fear
1 day to go for Israel...
Y-Net reports some French crackpot wants the US to launch or at least threaten to launch an attack on Iran. France has a military and even flattops. But he's not willing to risk French blood and treasure. He thinks Netanyahu agrees with him. If so, that's two crackpots. The US should not have to reassure Israel. Israel knows how long it takes to make a bomb. And Iran has had plans, but didn't make one, for over 8 years so far. Netanyahu imagines what he, himself would do in the dinner-jacket's position. Not everybody thinks that way, Bibi. And besides, the dinner-jacket doesn't run the show in Iran. Didn't you ever take a foreign governments class. not everybody has the same organizational structure. For Example, the Israeli President doesn't have the same powers as the US President.
which makes about as much sense as anything Mark of Lewiston said
is Steinitz. He is their Finance Minister and he wants the US to threaten Iran. Apparently he has no confidence in French or Israeli troops or in French or Israeli threats. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3940260,00.html
nuclear weapons!
Why do you insist on continually saying this when everyone knows they exist. The inept Olmert let it slip and Mordechai Vanunu has said they exist. The whole charade is getting old. Iran wants a level playing field, and who could blame them given the belligerent actions of the Israeli's over the last 10 or 20 years, as well as their obvious hatred for non Jewish life.
Vanunu is a liar and an enemy of the state, many leftists would do the same if they were nuclear engineers too. And Olmert is the worst PM we ever had, he's the US's doll. He'd do anything to delegitize himself. I prefer to believe our PM with the IQ of 180 than the useful idiots.
I would trust Bin Laden before I would Obama and Co.
water seeks its own level
He doesn't cede to bellicose Congress corrupted initiatives which would lead to an other unnecessary war with hard consequences.Keep the good work Mr.President you are the only one who can.