(U.S. Institute of Peace) On Tuesday, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper briefed the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the threat Iran could pose to U.S. interests and the Middle East. According to the annual Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, "Iran does not face any insurmountable technical barriers to producing a nuclear weapon, making Iran's political will the central issue." "We judge that Tehran would choose ballistic missiles as its preferred method of delivering nuclear weapons, if it builds them. Iran's ballistic missiles are inherently capable of delivering WMD, and Tehran already has the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East. Iran's progress on space launch vehicles - along with its desire to deter the United States and its allies - provides Tehran with the means and motivation to develop longer-range missiles, including ICBMs."
2016-02-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive