InfoAnda - U.S. agencies believe Iran's nuclear efforts have slowed

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Eighth Foot Washes Up On Canadian Shores | 31 October 2009
Mystery surrounds Michael Jackson's sudden death | Entertainment | | 26 June 2009
Israeli president plays down settlement work | International | | 22 November 2009

Three US soldiers killed in Afghan violence: NATO | 24 January 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : U.S. agencies believe Iran's nuclear efforts have slowed

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Africa Europe Latin America Middle East North America U.S. agencies believe Iran's nuclear efforts have slowed Reuters - Thursday, January 13 Send IM Story Print By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence agencies believe Iranian leaders have not yet decided to build a nuclear bomb, and some officials say recent problems affecting Tehran's nuclear equipment and personnel have set back Iran's nuclear program by two years or more. The latest assessments, based at least in part on Israeli intelligence, appear to have eased political pressures on Israeli and American leaders for a military strike against Iran's nuclear infrastructure, according to current and former officials familiar with the intelligence. These developments have also given the administration of President Barack Obama breathing room to pursue a two-pronged strategy of seeking greater diplomatic engagement with Tehran while also threatening increased economic sanctions, they said. Deadly attacks on Iranian nuclear scientists and a computer virus which allegedly infected control systems for Iran's uranium enrichment equipment have likely slowed Iran's nuclear progress, Israeli intelligence sources have said. That evaluation is shared by some, but not all, U.S. nuclear and intelligence experts. "We've got more time than we thought," said Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Hayden said he now believes the "key decision point" for possible military action against Iran has been postponed until the "next presidential term" which would be after the 2012 election. At the same time, current and former U.S. national security and intelligence officials believe Iran is actively trying to assemble the infrastructure and know-how for atomic bomb production if and when political leaders decide to build one. A current U.S. official who is following the issue closely told Reuters: "The intelligence folks think that the Iranians aren't necessarily moving full steam ahead with the development of a nuclear weapon, but that there's fairly robust debate inside the Iranian regime on whether to go forward." "This is a momentous decision for an isolated government, and people are watching very closely to see what they do." The official added that, "Even if choose to do the wrong thing and proceed towards nuclear weapons, it's unclear that they could do so quickly. While they've got a lot of knowledge, putting it into practice is a whole different ball game." Six major powers -- the United States, Britain, Russia, Germany, France, and China -- are meeting with Iran next week in Istanbul to seek assurances that it is not trying to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran says its nuclear work is for production of electricity. "BREAKOUT CAPABILITY" SOUGHT For years, a key point of debate among analysts has been estimating how quickly Iranian scientists and engineers could build a bomb once political leaders gave the word. The most recent -- and controversial -- consensus of U.S. spy agencies issued in 2007 reported that Iran had "halted its nuclear weapons program" in the autumn of 2003, although Tehran was "keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons." The 2007 National Intelligence Estimate suggested it was conceivable Iran might be able to produce enough bomb-grade uranium to build a weapon at the earliest in 2010. But U.S. agencies believed the Iranians' ability to achieve this was more likely after 2015. Some Israeli intelligence experts strongly disagreed, suggesting publicly following the report's release that Iran might be able to build a bomb within months rather than years. The 2007 assessment took the steam out of efforts by some hard-liners in the administration of President George W. Bush to seek harsher sanctions, or even military action against Iran. Despite criticism from conservatives, U.S. intelligence agencies stuck by the 2007 assessment until the revelation in 2009 of Iran's secret underground enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom. That discovery and other classified intelligence alarmed the intelligence community and forced a re-evaluation of when Iran could reach a "breakout capability" threshold, making it capable of assembling a nuclear weapon. A consensus began to develop among U.S. government experts that Iran may well have resumed the kind of nuclear related research and development activities that could hasten the timeline towards building a bomb. MAJOR ISRAELI SHIFT In the last few days, however, the assessment in the United States and Israel seems to be shifting back towards the 2007 intelligence evaluation of slower Iranian nuclear progress. Israelis, who had claimed Iran's bomb-making was advanced enough to produce a device within a matter of months, appeared to significantly revise their outlook. Meir Dagan, outgoing director of Israel's principal intelligence agency, Mossad, said Tehran would not be able to build a bomb for at least four years "because of measures that have been deployed against them." Israel sees a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its existence. It bombed an Iraqi reactor in 1981 and a suspected Syrian nuclear site in 2007 to disrupt nuclear programs in those two Arab states. Israel is widely assumed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, but many analysts say its air force is too small to take on Iran's nuclear sites on its own. Following the Israeli statements, word began to circulate among U.S. intelligence officials about a new push to complete the long-awaited updated National Intelligence Estimate on the Iranian nuclear program. An official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence would not comment, citing a long-standing policy not to discuss these reports or even acknowledge their existence. Some American experts question whether the revised Israeli view of Iran's nuclear glitches could be too optimistic and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also seemed to question the Israeli intelligence view. A few days after Dagan's assessment, Netanyahu insisted the Iranians were still intent on getting a nuclear weapon and that only a combination of sanctions and a credible threat of military action would be effective deterrents. David Albright, a former United Nations weapons inspector who heads the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington think tank, told Reuters that his own analysis still indicated Iran's nuclear research could reach a breakout point for bomb building in a year or two. Albright said he did not understand why Israelis like Dagan were so confident Iran will remain incapable of putting together a bomb any earlier than 2015. Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles Nigeria's ruling party to pick presidential candidate AFP - 2 hours 31 minutes ago UK-World Summary Reuters - 2 hours 59 minutes ago I.Coast curfew after 11 killed in Abidjan AFP - 2 hours 49 minutes ago Lebanon plunged into uncertainty as government falls Reuters - 2 hours 59 minutes ago Winter brings fiery killer into Afghan homes Reuters - Thursday, January 13 News Search Top Stories Spain faces first big debt test of 2011 Hezbollah forces Lebanon govt collapse Prince Harry eyes North Pole trek World Bank sees 2008 risks for global economy 2010 ties 2005 for warmest year on record: US More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Falling blackbirds baffle Arkansas officials Hasta la Vista: Arnie quits as California governor Goldman deal 'values Facebook at $50 billion' Spain lotto winner nearly loses millions by tossing tickets Brazil's 2010 trade surplus lowest in 8 years: official More Most Viewed » More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo! Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Entertainment Photos Yahoo! News Network Copyright © 2011 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Thursday, 13 January 2011
Hezbollah, allies quit Lebanese goverment
UK confidence in online shopping rattled by snow: poll
Hezbollah forces Lebanon government collapse
Portugal claims success in bond sale
EU launches new era of tighter economic governance
Fujitsu unveils 'world's first' glasses-free 3D PC
Lebanon's unity government collapses
Attacks in Afghanistan kill 5 NATO troops
EU divided over debt crisis fund boost
NATO: 5 service members killed in Afghanistan
Haitians grieve on quake anniversary
At least 127 dead as rains pummel Brazil regions |
Gaza militants say to halt rocket fire at Israel |
Qatar restore pride with China victory
Five more killed in Tunisia clashes: witnesses |
China bans German pork, egg imports
China says stealth jet test flight not a threat |
Biden tells Pakistan: 'We are not the enemy of Islam'
Djeparov fires Uzbeks towards Asian Cup quarters
Divided you will fail, Loach warns Palestinians
Crew under pressure to land Kaczynski plane: Russia |
Two Thais in Cambodia court on spying charges
Russian spy Anna Chapman to host TV show
U.N. says Gbagbo-backers loot food convoy in Abidjan |
N. Korea reopens border hotline with S. Korea
Book tells inspiring tale behind King's Speech film
U.S. Vice President Biden warns against Pakistan extremism
England win thriller to set T20 record
Geithner urges China reform ahead of Hu visit
Nvidia shares surge 12 percent, extend rally |
Pakistani stocks end up; rupee firms; o/n rates flat
IBM, Samsung to jointly develop chip technology |
Clearwire shares rise on hopes of funding deal |
Activist manager sells Cisco shares on rights concerns |
Wikipedia, 10 years old, targets India for growth |
Demand Media moves ahead with $112.5 million IPO |
Toyota to make lithium batteries for hybrids: Nikkei |
John Travolta and Kelly Preston show off new baby |
Seth Rogen, Jay Chou dish on new Green Hornet |
German firm develops Internet eraser for photos
David Nelson of Ozzie and Harriet TV family dies |
Ten years on, Wikipedia eyes a better world
US-TECH Summary
Clearwire shares rise on hopes of funding deal
News Corp., Apple to unveil 'The Daily' next week
Demand Media moves ahead with $112.5 million IPO
Lebanon plunged into uncertainty as government falls
Spain faces first big debt test of 2011
Brisbane avoids worst in floods but sees years of rebuilding |
YouTube mobile video viewing tops 200 mln a day
Hezbollah and allies resign, toppling Lebanon government
Lebanon plunged into uncertainty as government falls |
Prince Harry eyes North Pole trek
PC sales growth slows in fourth quarter: Gartner
Afghan police: Explosion reported in Jalalabad
Hezbollah forces Lebanon govt collapse
Ivory Coast army seals off pro-Ouattara area, bars U.N. |
Russia blames Polish pressure for Kaczynski crash
Investors bet on Nvidia's new mobile chips
U.S. agencies believe Iran's nuclear efforts have slowed
Haitians recall 2010 quake hell as death toll upped |
PC shipment growth lackluster in Q4
World Bank sees 2008 risks for global economy
Taylor Swift Scores Lowest-Selling #1 Album On The Billboard Albums Chart With "Speak Now"
2010 ties 2005 for warmest year on record: US
Egypt Christians clash with police over shooting
Google turns Android smartphones into interpreters
U.S. agencies believe Iran's nuclear efforts have slowed |
Global economy to slow in 2011: World Bank
Philippine floods, landslides kill 42 |
Citing rights failings, firm divests Cisco holdings
Gaza militants say to halt rocket fire at Israel
Blackpool pile on agony for Liverpool in Premier League
Mobile airwaves seen key to U.S. competitiveness
Special Report: Vietnam capitalist roaders follow China's trail |
Palestinian fails in bid to win control of settlement
Ultimate Software looks at selling itself: sources
A Kuwaiti PM in first Iraq visit since war
Winter brings fiery killer into Afghan homes |
Wikipedia, 10 years old, targets India
At least 270 dead in Brazil floods |
IBM, Samsung to jointly develop chip technology
Japan PM to tap fiscal hawk in new line-up: report |
N. Korea must act to defuse tensions: Gates
Bob Geldof is keynote speaker at South by Southwest
Brisbane a 'war zone' as huge flood smashes city
Edward Furlong scraps trip after latest arrest
Japan PM to tap fiscal hawk in new line-up
Imam criticised for NY mosque embarks on U.S. speaking tour
N. Korea's uranium for making bombs: South
Obama leads mourning of Arizona shooting victims
Factbox
Brisbane avoids worst in floods, sees years of rebuilding
Obama visits wounded U.S. Congresswoman Giffords
Hard times make way for fuller-figured lingerie
China says shares U.S. goals on Korea as hotline reopens
Texan builds artful, green homes out of trash
News Corp says looking at spinout or sale of MySpace |
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Biden in Baghdad to meet Maliki: WHouse
Brisbane flood peaks well below expected high: officials
Minimum and maximum temperatures in Celsius
Investors bet on Nvidia's new mobile chips |
Showtime cable network passes on "Kennedys"
Australia rebuilding task 'of postwar proportions'
Disruptive Arizona suspect axed from online group
Bob Geldof is keynote speaker at South by Southwest
Mobile airwaves seen key to U.S. competitiveness |
US 'not the enemy of Islam' says Biden
Edward Furlong scraps trip after latest arrest
World Bank says China has room for more rate hikes
PC shipment growth lackluster in Q4 |
S. Korea raises key rate, moves against inflation
Taiwan capital to levy 'luxury residence' tax
Ultimate Software looks at selling itself: sources |
Carmakers target inland China to maintain growth
Seoul shares end down amid options expiry
HIGHLIGHTS-Bank of Korea chief's comments at news conference
Japan PM taps fiscal hawk in cabinet shake-up
India's Infosys reports 14.1% net profit rise
Tyler Perry nabs 19 NAACP Image Award nominations
WRAPUP 1-S.Korea steps up inflation battle, raises rates
"Green Hornet" never reaches top speed
Pakistan
Obama Visits Hospital, Meets With Injured And Families
Conan feels liberated after year of tumult
“The Game” Scores Huge Ratings For BET
Katie Holmes new face of Ann Taylor clothing
"The Big Bang Theory" Renewed For Three More Years
“The need of the hour is return of sanity, remembering that we are one"
China’s stealth jet fighter sends signal about its military power
Facebook paid $8.5 million for fb.com domain
Somber mood as Tucson prepares to welcome President Obama
Study: Energy drinks don't lessen effects of alcohol
AP, Fairey copyright case involving Obama's image dismissed
Principal at NYC prep school fired over affair with 18-year-old ex-student
Conan feels liberated after year of tumult |
Edward Furlong scraps trip after latest arrest |
Green Hornet never reaches top speed |
Tyler Perry nabs 19 NAACP Image Award nominations |
Showtime cable network passes on Kennedys |
Bob Geldof is keynote speaker at South by Southwest |
Three actors exit Law & Order: Los Angeles series |
Book tells inspiring tale behind King's Speech film |
David Nelson of Ozzie and Harriet TV family dies |
British health tech startups seek US foothold
Lebanon in political turmoil as govt collapses
Spotify, Shazam tie up on finding and buying music
Ship carrying acid overturns in Germany: police
Analysis: a year after China retreat, Google plots new growth
RIM gives India access but not to secure e-mails
Violent clashes spread to centre of Tunisian capital |
Prize-winning Korean director shoots iPhone film
Iran's nuclear sites tour proposal flounders |
News Corp says looking at spinout or sale of MySpace
Gates warns on North Korea, eyes Japan ties |
U.S. and European officials warn Belarus after crackdown |
In France, far right seizes on Muslim street prayers |
Iran's nuclear sites tour proposal flounders
Japan boss: Asian Cup like Champions League
Cambodian court grants bail to 2 Thais
More foreign film shooting in Thailand expected
ANALYSIS: Leadership a vexing issue for Thailand's opposition party
Analysis: A year after China retreat, Google plots new growth |
US envoy blasts China, India on WTO talks progress
Rain washes out tennis at Kooyong Classic
Pakistani stocks end on 31-mth high; rupee flat
AT&T to take Q4 $2.7 billion charge on accounting change |
RIM gives India access but not to secure e-mails |
Pakistan's forex reserves fall to $17.09 bln
Ultimate Software says no current plans for sale |
BlackBerry announces answer to India security fear
MTS estimates 2010 Russia handset sales rose 25 percent |
POSCO posts sharp drop in profit
Prize-winning Korean director shoots iPhone film |
Police halt body recovery at N. Zealand mine
South Korea steps up inflation battle, raises rates
Frenchman held in Indonesia over drugs: official
Prize-winning Korean director shoots iPhone film
China's Li into Sydney tennis final
Troubled Indonesia budget airline halts operations
Lady Gaga, Miranda Lambert, Eminem To Perform On The Grammys
Judge says Homeland Security can keep scanned image secrets
Study: Antibiotics best treatment for toddlers with ear infections
Snow covers 71 percent of U.S.
AIG to sell Taiwan business for $2.16 billion
California man charged with threatening Washington congressman
Prize-winning Korean director shoots iPhone film |
Nude housekeeper on trial for stabbing client to death
Space observatory finds smallest Earth-like planet outside solar system
Japan firm launches mirror thermometer for detecting flu
Laos opens first stock exchange
Cuba registering first lung cancer vaccine in South America
Seattle 'superhero' attacked over the weekend, thugs break his nose
It’s a Bird, It’s a Shark, It’s a Mossad Spy
Saudi court sentences woman to 3 years for torturing, mutilating Indonesian maid
Forget gossip: Facebook will not shut down March 15
'Butt dial' sends SWAT team to school
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01