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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/world/middleeast/20policy.html
U.S. Assures Israel that Iran Threat Is Not Imminent
(New York Times) Mark Mazzetti and David E. Sanger - The Obama administration, citing evidence of continued troubles inside Iran's nuclear program, has persuaded Israel that it would take roughly a year - and perhaps longer - for Iran to complete what one senior official called a "dash" for a nuclear weapon, according to American officials. "We think that they have roughly a year dash time," said Gary Samore, President Obama's top adviser on nuclear issues. Nuclear experts agree that the hardest element of producing a weapon is obtaining weapons-grade material. For most of this year, Iran has added relatively few centrifuges - the machines that spin uranium at supersonic speed, enriching it. The public explanation by American officials is that the centrifuges are inefficient and subject to regular breakdowns. And while Iranian officials have talked about installing more advanced models that would be more efficient and reliable, only a few have been installed. "Either they don't have the machines, or they have real questions about their technical competence," Samore said.