Report: Iran could have a bomb in six months (or not)

This tidbit from Middle East News Line claims Iran could have a bomb in 6 months if US were to launch air strikes on Iranian facilities. It looks like a self-serving political report that is intended to warn the US off a hypothetical attack. Unfortunately, most assessments of Iranian capabilities, this one too seems to based on politics rather than real information.

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IRAN COULD BUILD FIRST NUKE DEVICE IN 6 MONTHS

LONDON [MENL] -- Iran could assemble its first nuclear bomb within six months, a report said.

The London-based Oxford Research Group asserted that Iran could launch a crash program to produce its first crude nuclear weapon by late 2007. The ORG report said Teheran could begin such a program should the United States launch air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

"It would be a bit like deciding to build a car from spare parts instead of building the entire car factory," the report said. "Put simply, military attacks could speed Iran's progress to a nuclear bomb."

The report, released on March 5, said Iran was not planning to turn nuclear for another few years. British nuclear scientist Frank Barnaby, author of the report, said Teheran appeared to be seeking to achieve nuclear weapons capability in 2012.
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