By Yitzhak Benhorin
In remarks seemingly aimed at Israel, the United States said Friday it had “eyes” and “visibility” inside Iran’s nuclear program and would know if Tehran made a “breakout” towards a nuclear weapon.
Washington also indicated it had not changed its view that Iran was not yet on the verge of building a nuclear bomb, despite Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s statement that US intelligence now viewed the threat as more “urgent.”
White House spokesman Jay Carney declined to comment on intelligence matters but said that Washington and Israel were agreed about Iran’s ambitions for its nuclear program.
“I would also say that we have eyes – we have visibility into the program, and we would know if and when Iran made what’s called a breakout move towards acquiring a weapon.”
Breakout capability is commonly understood to be the point when a state acquires the knowledge, capability and materials to build a nuclear bomb if it wants to.
Carney said later in his briefing that he was referring to International Atomic Energy Agency officials mandated to inspect Iran’s nuclear sites because Tehran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
But many experts believe there has also been substantial infiltration and sabotage of Iran’s nuclear program by Western and Israeli intelligence agencies.
Though the Obama Administration has not taken the military option off the table, Carney said “there is time and space to pursue the diplomatic option that includes extremely and increasingly aggressive sanctions.”
Carney’s comments appeared to be an indirect repudiation of Barak’s comment on Public Radio that it was getting tougher to assess Iran’s nuclear progress.