08-01-11 Sanctions Slow Iran's Warhead Capability

Israel's outgoing intelligence chief said Iran won't be able to build a nuclear weapon until 2015,reflecting a growing consensus among the U.S. and its allies that Tehran's suspected effort to obtain a warhead has been significantly slowed.Officials in the U.S., Europe and Asia credit,in part,an international campaign that they say has restricted Iran's ability to procure the raw materials needed to build an atomic bomb.In particular,they say,Iran has had difficulty acquiring carbon fiber and a particular high-strength steel,two critical inputs for making machinery used in producing enriched uranium.These officials say Tehran is stalled in its efforts to deploy advanced centrifuge machines that could drastically accelerate the production of highly enriched uranium,which is needed for a nuclear bomb.Tehran says it isn't trying to build a nuclear weapon.Israeli officials,among the most hawkish on Iran,have significantly dialed back their assessments on the time Iran needs for a bomb.A number had said Tehran could have an atomic bomb this year.But in statements reported Friday by Israeli newspapers,the country's departing spy chief,Meir Dagan,pointed to 2015,crediting international sanctions and covert activities to slowing down the Iranian program.The estimate was the most distant timeline for Iran developing a nuclear weapon yet put forth publicly by a senior Israeli intelligence official.Hard-line officials in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government have also softened their estimates in recent days.Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israel's Army Radio last week that Iran is three years away from developing a nuclear warhead because of technological difficulties.