Thursday, August 24, 2006

Uh, Oh American Intel On Iran Bad

A Y-Net report says: US misjudged Iran threat. I always thought the reports that said Iran was 5 or 10 years from making a bomb were nuts. American spy agencies need a very serious house cleaning. Joe Wilson has not served us well nor his esteemed (nth) wife.

A report published in Washington Wednesday warned that the United States underestimated the Iranian threat as a result of "significant gaps" in intelligence information collected by American spy agencies.

The report, prepared the House Intelligence Committee, presented Iran as a growing threat on the US and criticized American spy agencies for failing to properly assess Tehran's weapons programs.

The report cited "significant gaps in our knowledge and understanding of the various areas of concern about Iran" and added that "policymakers will need high-quality intelligence to prepare for any new round of negotiations," with the Islamic republic.
There is no doubt that the most vigorous negotiations possible are needed at this point. Perhaps the 82nd Airborne and the Big Red One could be assigned the task of negotiating. Throw in a Marine Division, some B52s, a few carrier air wings, special forces, and I think we have a negotiating team whose offer cannot be refused. Under any circumstances.
More Farsi-speaking staffers in intelligence agencies and stronger counter-intelligence efforts also were recommended.

The 29-page report, submitted to committee chairman Peter Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican, and senior Democrat Jane Harman of California, was accompanied by a classified document detailing the US intelligence community's shortcomings.

The report comes amid concern that Iran is aiding terrorism in Iraq and helping Hizbullah stage missile attacks on Israel from southern Lebanon .

The house report noted that besides having a likely chemical weapons development program and an offensive biological weapons program, Iran has the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East.

The missiles could be integrated with nuclear weapons some time in the next decade, it said.
They still going with that decade stuff? I'd like to know what they think the probability might be in the next 6 weeks.

1 comment:

linearthinker said...

Some thoughts.

"If we really want to give diplomacy a chance in Iran, we must put preemption front and center. The Bush Administration would do well to begin leaking feasibility plans for wide ranging strikes against Iran's nuclear infrastructure. We should establish bright red lines, and stick to them."

and,

"The US has no real problem with the prospect of a democratic, peaceful, and law-abiding Iran developing nuclear technology, because such an Iran would be able to give the West all the reassurance it needs." But, "...it is reasonable to insist that if the Iranians want advanced nuclear technology, they need to get an advanced government first." Mario Loyola, National Review, 8-28-06, pp 20-23.

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The report cited "significant gaps in our knowledge and understanding of the various areas of concern about Iran" and added that "policymakers will need high-quality intelligence to prepare for any new round of negotiations," with the Islamic republic.

What would we do without staff reports?

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Stirring the pot along the Iranian border could help distract the mullahs. How about promoting the redrawing the boundaries of Kurdistan?