U.S. Defence Secretary Doesn’t Think Iran is Trying to Build a Nuclear Weapon

January 9, 2012. David Pugliese - Defence Watch

Interesting story in the NY Times on Iran being on the verge of starting production at its second major uranium enrichment site. That announcement came from Fereydoon Abbasi, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.

Buried in the article was this:

But on Sunday, appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Mr. Panetta was less specific about how close to the line Iran would be allowed to go. Sanctions and separate embargoes against Iran were “working to put pressure on them, to make them understand that they cannot continue to do what they’re doing,” Mr. Panetta said, in comments that were taped before Mr. Abbasi’s announcement. “Are they trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No. But we know that they’re trying to develop a nuclear capability. And that’s what concerns us. And our red line to Iran is: do not develop a nuclear weapon. That’s a red line for us.”

See the full article here