Bush says Iran a danger, despite a report that the regime abandoned nuke program

Published 11:42 pm Tuesday, December 4, 2007

WASHINGTON — President Bush said Tuesday that Iran is dangerous and must be squeezed by international pressure, despite a blockbuster intelligence finding that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program four years ago.

Bush said the new conclusion — contradicting earlier U.S. assessments — would not prompt him to take off the table the possibility of pre-emptive military action against Iran. Nor will the United States change its policy of trying to isolate Iran diplomatically and punish it with sanctions, he said.

“Look, Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous and Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon,” the president said a day after the release of a new intelligence estimate representing the consensus of all U.S. spy agencies.

“President Bush has lost all credibility with the American people,” said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. “We were misled on Iraq, now it’s Iran. We need to get to the truth so our foreign policy is not only tough but smart.”

While U.S. intelligence about Iran has changed, Bush showed no inclination to alter course. Iran continues to produce enriched uranium that could be transferred to a secret weapons program, he said.

“So, I view this report as a warning signal that they had the program, they halted the program. And the reason why it’s a warning signal is that they could restart it,” the president said.

Bush rattled some allies by warning recently that a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to World War III. Until Monday’s report, Bush was unwavering in its conviction that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons. Bush said he did not know about the findings until last week — a point challenged by some.

“The president knew, even as he was saying ‘World War III’ and all that kind of stuff,” said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “He knew. He knew, he had been briefed.”

Iranian officials gloated Tuesday, demanding the U.S. apologize for accusing them of pursuing nuclear weapons.

“U.S. officials have so far inflicted (much) damage on the Iranian nation by spreading lies against the country and by disturbing public opinion. Therefore, they have to pay the price for their action,” said government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham.