It's the Bomb That Will Bring Us Together

During his confirmation hearing, CIA director Leon Panetta told his inquisitors that "From all the information I've seen, I think there is no question that [Iranian leaders] are seeking [nuclear] capability." In a recent press conference, as the Los Angeles Times noted, President Obama referred to Iran's "development of a nuclear weapon," though he quickly backtracked, referring to the country's "pursuit" of a weapons program. In other words, as the Times points out, "senior U.S. officials now discount a National Intelligence Estimate issued in November 2007 that was instrumental in derailing U.S. and European efforts to pressure Iran to shut down its nuclear program." Now comes word, via the always excitable Matt Drudge and the FT, that Tehran, according to the United Nations, possesses enough enriched uranium for a single nuclear bomb.

Iran has now built up a stockpile of enough enriched uranium for one nuclear bomb, United Nations officials acknowledged on Thursday.

In a development that comes as the Obama administration is drawing up its policy on negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear programme, UN officials said Iran had produced more nuclear material than previously thought.

They said Iran had now accumulated more than one tonne of low enriched uranium hexafluoride at a facility in Natanz. If such a quantity were further enriched it could produce more than 20kg of fissile material—enough for a bomb.

Nice job of containing Ahmadinejad, President Bush!

Headline reference, for those non-Moz fans.