When Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with U.S. President George Bush in Texas this week, he told Bush that Israeli intelligence estimates that Iran might be only a few months away from the "point of no return," in terms of its nuclear development. This point is considered the time after which the reactors cannot be bombed, because the resulting destruction would cause nuclear havoc on the surroundings.
American intelligence officials, however, are of the opinion that Iran will not achieve nuclear weapons power until the beginning of the next decade.
Speaking with FoxNews, Sharon said that Israel does not plan to attack Iran, but will employ all measures necessary to defend itself.
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Aharon Levran, a former senior IDF intelligence officer, spoke with Arutz-7 today and noted that U.S. intelligence had erred greatly regarding Iraqi arms. "In this case, however, it's a bit more straightforward," he said. "The information from Iran is more solid, we have informers from the opposition, United Nations personnel, and the like... I'm not only talking about the famous reactor in Busheir, but about two or three others ones as well... The Iranians admitted that they lied for 18 years to the Atomic Energy Commission when they claimed that they used the reactors for civilian use - but of course we don't know exactly what they are doing inside those installations."
Levran said that the United States, "as a superpower, is less concerned about Iran's nuclear capabilities than Israel is... I don't see Bush running to threaten Iran, or even going to the UN, because that would obligate him to carry through, and I'm not sure that he wants to do that after what he did in Afghanistan and Iraq..."
Then how can Iran be stopped? "Economic sanctions, or maybe the UN will deal with it - after all, Iran knows that it can't do anything it wants. It could be that Iran fears Bush more than I think they should. It could also be that the smaller reactors might be targeted... This is exactly the game: Iran's desire to obtain nuclear power, on the one hand, and the international pressures and threats, on the other."
American intelligence officials, however, are of the opinion that Iran will not achieve nuclear weapons power until the beginning of the next decade.
Speaking with FoxNews, Sharon said that Israel does not plan to attack Iran, but will employ all measures necessary to defend itself.
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Aharon Levran, a former senior IDF intelligence officer, spoke with Arutz-7 today and noted that U.S. intelligence had erred greatly regarding Iraqi arms. "In this case, however, it's a bit more straightforward," he said. "The information from Iran is more solid, we have informers from the opposition, United Nations personnel, and the like... I'm not only talking about the famous reactor in Busheir, but about two or three others ones as well... The Iranians admitted that they lied for 18 years to the Atomic Energy Commission when they claimed that they used the reactors for civilian use - but of course we don't know exactly what they are doing inside those installations."
Levran said that the United States, "as a superpower, is less concerned about Iran's nuclear capabilities than Israel is... I don't see Bush running to threaten Iran, or even going to the UN, because that would obligate him to carry through, and I'm not sure that he wants to do that after what he did in Afghanistan and Iraq..."
Then how can Iran be stopped? "Economic sanctions, or maybe the UN will deal with it - after all, Iran knows that it can't do anything it wants. It could be that Iran fears Bush more than I think they should. It could also be that the smaller reactors might be targeted... This is exactly the game: Iran's desire to obtain nuclear power, on the one hand, and the international pressures and threats, on the other."