US intelligence agencies now believe that Iran stopped trying to build nuclear weapons four years ago. The "military option" appears to be off the table. President Bush's effort to increase sanctions against Iran is still going strong, but the latest intelligence estimate may undermine that, too. In Iran today, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the latest US Intelligence Estimate a "victory" for his claim that Iran is not building nuclear weapons. He did not mention the finding that there was such a program up until 2003. Mohamed elBaradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is "somewhat vindicated" but that there still are "lingering concerns." Have 16 intelligence agencies declared their independence from political influence? Has the President turned his back on the neo-cons who wanted to follow the war in Iraq with attacks on Iran?
New Intelligence on Iran's Nuclear Program
Credits
Guests:
- Barbara Slavin - Atlantic Council / Al-Monitor - @barbaraslavin1
- David Albright - Institute for Science and International Security - @ISISNuclear
- Najmeh Bozorgmehr - Tehran Correspondent, Financial Times
- Robert Baer - former CIA field officer and author
- Victor Davis Hanson - Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution