Iran Just Two Years From Bomb: Britain
In an unusually frank briefing to senior British civil servants, Sir John Sawers, the chief of MI6, Britain’s foreign intelligence service said that British agents have been active against Iran’s nuclear program since 2008. Despite their efforts though, Sawers said that Iran would likely achieve nuclear capability by 2014.
Sawer’s remarks reported today in the Daily Telegraph were made last week at a lecture to a hundred senior civil servants in London. He said that since Iran was “two years away” from becoming a nuclear power, and that Israel and the United States would have to decide before then whether to attack Iran. He is quoted saying that “the Iranians are determinedly going down a path to master all aspects of nuclear weapons; all the technologies they need,” and that “it’s equally clear that Israel and the United States would face huge dangers if Iran were to become a nuclear weapon state.”
Regarding his own service’s performance, he took credit for delaying Iran’s ambitions saying that without MI6’s operations, “you’d have Iran as a nuclear weapons state in 2008 rather than still being two years away in 2012” and that the service’s goal was to “delay that awful moment when the politicians may have to take a decision between accepting a nuclear-armed Iran or launching a military strike against Iran… it will be very tough for any prime minister of Israel or president of the United States to accept a nuclear-armed Iran.”
This is the first official confirmation that Britain’s intelligence services are actively involved in the campaign against a nuclear Iran, though the Tehran regime routinely accuses Britain of cooperating with the U.S. and Israel against its interests.
For more, go to Haaretz.com
I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
