By GottaLaff
Had Cheney gotten his wish and bombed Iran... Okay ::shiver:: not going there. Let's go here instead:
Mohamed ElBaradei, outgoing chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has called the Iranian threat "hyped," saying there is no proof the Islamic republic will soon have nuclear weapons.
"In many ways, I think the threat has been hyped," ElBaradei told the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in an interview released Tuesday.
"Yes, there's concern about Iran's future intentions and Iran needs to be more transparent with the IAEA and international community," he told the Chicago-based magazine. "But the idea that we'll wake up tomorrow and Iran will have a nuclear weapon is an idea that isn't supported by the facts as we have seen them so far."[...]
Although the report said that Iran was stonewalling about "possible military dimensions" to its nuclear program, the report was far less critical of Teheran than Israel would have liked.
According to government officials, the IAEA has another document which is a summary of everything the agency knows about Iran's nuclear program, which has remained classified. Israel is keen on getting that document released, but has limited leverage since it is not a member of the IAEA.
ElBaradei did not agree to release the document, and the decision to do so will now go to his successor, Japan's Yukiya Amano, due to take office on December 1.
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