[The Russian project to build nuclear facilities in Iran is now bearing fruit… beautifully… The Iranians will soon have nuclear weapons… and the first people they want to attack with it… are the Israelis.

So… Who will attack first? Israel… or the USA… or Iran?

This question… fascinates me… Jan]

By Andrew Cawthorne

LONDON (Reuters) – Israel said on Wednesday arch-foe Iran was just six months away from having the knowledge to build an atomic bomb, as Tehran accused the United States of using satellites “and other tools” to spy on its nuclear sites.

The Israeli warning followed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s call last week for Iran to abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons and meet its international obligations if it was to be sure of avoiding conflict.

“The question is not if the Iranians will have a nuclear bomb in 2009, 10 or 11, the main question is when are they going to have the knowledge to do it,” Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said on a visit to London.

“We believe in six months from today they will end all the tests and experiments they are doing to have that knowledge.”

The chief of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency said in January Iran would have the capability to produce enriched uranium, which can be used in both power stations and nuclear bombs, by the end of 2005.

Iran’s Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi on Wednesday again denied that his country’s civilian nuclear facilities were a cover for an atomic weapons program, saying U.S. satellites were spying on Iran but would find nothing as “we have nothing to hide.”

While Europe has pursued a policy of engagement with Iran, the United States and Israel have taken a more aggressive stance. Washington has said it favors diplomacy but does not rule out any option in stopping Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and Israel has hinted at possible military action.

An Israeli air strike on the Iraqi reactor Osiraq in 1981 dealt a severe blow to Saddam Hussein’s nuclear program.

Israel plans to buy 500 “bunker buster” bombs from the United States that could prove effective against Iran’s nuclear facilities, many of which are underground.

“They are trying very hard to develop the nuclear bomb. This kind of extreme regime with a nuclear bomb is a nightmare, not only for us,” Shalom told reporters at the London briefing.

SATELLITES AND DRONES

France, Britain and Germany have been trying to persuade Iran to scrap potentially weapons-related activities in return for economic incentives, but Iran says its suspension of uranium enrichment activities last November is only temporary.

Iran has warned it would both retaliate and accelerate its drive to master nuclear technology if the United States or Israel attacked its atomic facilities.

The Washington Post, citing information from unnamed U.S. officials, reported this week the United States had been flying drones over Iran for the past year looking for evidence of nuclear weapons programs.

The pilotless planes flew into Iran from U.S. military bases in Iraq and used radar, photography and air filters to detect signs of nuclear activity, the newspaper said.

“We believe the United States has been spying against Iran for some time using satellites and other tools,” Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted Yunesi as saying on Wednesday, after he was asked about U.S. denials that it was using drones.

“Our nuclear and military activities are transparent. We have nothing to hide,” he said.

The Central Intelligence Agency’s National Intelligence Council has ordered an updated assessment on Iran’s WMD program and a comprehensive new report on the country, known as a national intelligence estimate.

The Iranian air force was ordered in December to shoot down any unknown or suspicious flying objects over its territory.

“If any of these bright objects come close, they will definitely face our fire,” Yunesi said.

(Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi)

Source: ReutersURL: http://reuters.myway.com/article/20050216/200…/p>