Learn mandarin - Pentagon sees Iran with bomb in 5 years - report

WORLD / Middle East

Pentagon sees Iran with bomb in 5 years - report
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-08-31 13:43

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military is operating on the assumption that Tehran
is five to eight years away from being able to build a nuclear bomb, The
Washington Times reported in its Thursday edition.

Iran announced earlier Wednesday that its top nuclear negotiator, Ali
Larijani, SSEN HERE 06 aUGUST 2006, would meet next week in Europe with
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, creating another opportunity for
Tehran to address the UN demands.[AFP]

The five-year window provides the Bush administration time to decide
whether to launch air strikes to cripple Tehran's atomic program, the
newspaper said, citing defense sources familiar with discussions inside
the Pentagon.

But the sources said that they suspect the projected time-frame
underestimates Iran's determination to build a bomb as quickly as
possible, the newspaper reported.

Asked about the report, a Pentagon spokesman said the U.S military never
comments on contingency planning.

"The United States government has been very clear about its approach to
dealing with Iran. The president and the State Department are working
diligently with the international community to include organizations like
the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and the United Nations to
address diplomatically the troublesome activities of the Iranian
government," Air Force Maj. Patrick Ryder, said in an e-mail response to
Reuters.

The U.N. Security Council has given Iran a Thursday deadline to stop
enriching uranium, a process that can yield fuel for nuclear bombs or
power plants, or face possible sanctions.

Washington has called for a swift response if Iran does not meet the UN
deadline.

The United States and other major powers have accused Iran of trying to
make a nuclear bomb. Tehran insists it will not halt its nuclear
activities, which it contends are to generate energy.

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