NIE doubts

There's an interesting and counter current analysis over at the Asia Times about the new NIE. It points out that by saying in the report that Iran canceled their nuclear weapons program in 2003, it affirms that Iran did have such a program up to 2003, something that Iran has always denied and the IAEA has never confirmed. In fact, the only evidence that there was such a program was an allegedly stolen laptop, delivered to the US by MEK, America's preferred terrorist group. And what could that mean?

If complemented by a follow-up report that Iran is now poised to change course and resurrect its halted activities, then theoretically speaking, that gives ample justification for Washington's planned "pre-emptive strikes" on Iran, not to mention added sanctions. Yet, even short of such a follow-up, the present state of mind on Iran fueled by the new intelligence report is sufficiently paranoid to warrant tough new actions against Tehran.