Scoop Link:
By Mark Mazzetti
Washington - A new assessment by American intelligence agencies concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program
in 2003 and that the program remains on hold, contradicting an assessment two years ago that Tehran was working
inexorably toward building a bomb.
The conclusions of the new assessment are likely to be a major factor in the tense international negotiations aimed at
getting Iran to halt its nuclear energy program. Concerns about Iran were raised sharply after President Bush had
suggested in October that a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to "World War III," and Vice President Dick Cheney promised
"serious consequences" if the government in Tehran did not abandon its nuclear program.
The finding also come in the middle of a presidential campaign during which a possible military strike against Iran's
nuclear program has been discussed. The assessment, a National Intelligence Estimate that represents the consensus view
of all 16 American spy agencies, states that Tehran's ultimate intentions about gaining a nuclear weapon remain unclear,
but that Iran's "decisions are guided by a cost-benefit approach rather than a rush to a weapon irrespective of the
political, economic and military costs."
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