New Iran Intelligence Report Undermines Push for War

[Guest James P. Moran]

The drumbeat for war with Iran was struck a powerful blow this week. The release of the newest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran found that Iran stopped their nuclear weapons development program in 2003 under international diplomatic pressure. According to the NIE estimate, Iran, even if it restarted its nuclear weapons program today, would not be able to produce a weapon in the best circumstances until at least 2010 and as far out as 2015.

 

In light of the new NIE, the President -- who only six weeks ago raised the specter of WWIII with regards to Iran -- should take the report's findings seriously and reconsider his administration's posturing that in order to stop Iran's burgeoning weapons program U.S. military strikes could be imminent. With this new revelation, America and our allies are offered the chance to formulate a policy toward Iran that is clear-eyed and clear-headed, not one based on fear.

 

Iran is indeed a threat to our nation and our allies. But like North Korea, Sudan and Venezuela, there are ways to deal with bad actors, tyrants and rogues that are more effective than relying on bullets and bombs alone. For your interest, enclosed is a speech I delivered on the House floor yesterday regarding the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran.

 

U.S. House of Representatives

 

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. — Well, what do you know, Mr. Speaker. After months of drum beat urging that we take a more aggressive posture toward Iran, mention by the President of a potential World War III, the assumptions, the assertions by the White House that Iran is aggressively pursuing a nuclear weapons program, we now find that as with Iraq, this was not true.

 

But, differently from what happened with Iraq, this time those professional, courageous civil servants in our national intelligence agencies stood up to intimidation from the White House and spoke the truth objectively and detailed it with facts. We're very proud of them.

 

All the more reason why we should not yield to the President's threats to furlough over 200,000 civilian employees and contractors just before Christmas unless the Congress approves another $50 billion in war spending.

 

Mr. Speaker, we need to stick to our guns. We've approved $459 billion in defense spending. That's enough.