Don’t Bomb Iran

Three years ago Iran told Britain Germany and France that it could build a nuclear bomb within three years -  John Bolton (the last Bush ambassador to the UN) told reporters this bombshell news in August 2004.   However, Iran never told the EU this at all:  “Our reports of the meeting do not mention that such a statement was made,”    said a diplomat from the talks.   Nonetheless, Reuters ran the headline “US: Iran Says Can Have Nuclear Weapons in 3 Years”, saying the timescale  confirmed US intelligence estimates of Iran’s first bomb.     Three years on, the intelligence estimate is still three years away, except that IAEA inspectors have still found no evidence of any military programme.

A copy of the 2004 story is below.

US: Iran Says Can Have Nuclear Weapons in 3 Years
Reuters Thu Aug 19, 2004 05:12 PM ET

By Saul Hudson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. official said on Thursday Iran has conceded to European powers it could build nuclear weapons in three years as Washington turned up the heat on Tehran to abandon what it says is a drive to acquire them.

But European diplomats, who have sought to engage Iran in negotiations on the issue, were skeptical of the U.S. assertion, which could help a U.S. drive to refer Tehran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.

“Iran has told the EU three (Britain, Germany and France) that it could possess nuclear weapons within three years,” U.S. Under Secretary of State John Bolton told Reuters. “The Iranian assertion gives the lie to the public contention that their nuclear program is entirely civil and peaceful in purpose.”

At a conference earlier this week, the hawkish appointee of Republican President Bush, made a similar statement about Iran’s assertions to the Europeans at talks last month. But on Thursday, he specified how soon Iran had said it could possess a weapon — a detail that coincides with the earliest U.S. estimates for an Iranian bomb.

U.S. officials with access to intelligence estimates say Iran can achieve a bomb in three to five years.

The United States hopes that referring Iran to the Security Council could pressure the country to stop programs it believes would be a danger in the Middle East, notably to its close ally Israel.

European diplomats doubted Iran had made such a claim during last month’s negotiations.

“Our reports of the meeting do not mention that such a statement was made,” a European diplomat from one of the countries involved in the talks said.