Volume 51, Number 3 · February 26, 2004
Big Deal in Iran
By Christopher de Bellaigue
In 2003, it became clear that Iran had for years concealed an extensive nuclear program that had brought the country closer than many governments had suspected to the ability to build a bomb. But there was still dispute over exactly how advanced Iran's program was. Last summer, a senior Israeli intelligence official predicted that Iran would have its first nuclear bomb within four years.[1] Others, particularly in Europe, regarded the end of the decade as a more realistic date. There was also uncertainty about Iran's nuclear aims. It seems likely that rather than attempting to build a bomb, the Iranians were assembling technology that would enable them to do so at short notice. By creating this capacity, they may have hoped to reduce their vulnerability to George Bush's hostility toward the Islamic Republic. About one thing, international observers were unanimous: when diplomatic pressure, particularly from the US, Britain, France, and Germany, succeeded in persuading the Iranian government to call a halt to the most controversial parts of its nuclear program last October, the country was alarmingly close to producing the nuclear fuel that could be used to make a bomb.
Feature, 4714 words
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