CIA chief: No proof of Iranian A-bomb

[BunkerHill24]

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:35:09 GMT

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) says there is no evidence that proves Tehran is edging towards developing nuclear weapons.

Departing CIA Director Michael Hayden said Thursday that the Islamic Republic's production of low-enriched uranium does not necessarily substantiate an Iranian objective to build atomic weaponry.

He said that even if the country does gain the capability to create highly enriched uranium, still there is no “clear proof” that Iran will use the material to fuel a nuclear warhead.

Washington accuses Tehran of developing a nuclear military program. Iran, a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), insists its program is poised for the civilian applications of the technology.

This is while UN nuclear watchdog Director General Mohamed ElBaradei disputed Western claims and ruled out suggestions that the Iranian nuclear program should be considered hostile.

"They , as I just recently mentioned still don't even have the nuclear material, the low-enriched uranium, to develop one nuclear weapon," he said in an address to the London City Hall.

"But even if they decide to walk out tomorrow from the Non-Proliferation Treaty - and you go into a lot of scenarios - it is not that we are going to see Iran tomorrow having nuclear weapons."

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has extensively monitored Iran's nuclear work since 2003, said in its latest report that it could not find any 'components of a nuclear weapon' or 'related nuclear physics studies' in the country.


http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=82558§ionid=351020104

[Idealism]

1. Here is a brief explanation of why Iran won't have the bomb anytime soon:

The true leader of Iran issued a mandate against nuclear weapons, that under Shia law, is absolute and binding (which Iran's official state religion is Shi'a).

Fatwa against nuclear weapons

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a fatwa saying the production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons was forbidden under Islam. The fatwa was cited in an official statement by the Iranian government at an August 2005 meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. <61><62>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Khamenei#Fatwa_against_nuclear_weapons

A fatwā (Arabic: فتوى‎; plural fatāwā Arabic: فتاوى‎), in the Islamic faith is a religious opinion on Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwa is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be, depending on the status of the scholar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatwa

Most Iranians are Muslims; 90% belong to the Shi'a branch of Islam, the official state religion, and about 8% belong to the Sunni branch, mainly Kurds and Iran's Balochi Sunni.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Iran