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Dubai: Iran exulted on Tuesday over a US intelligence report that downplayed Tehran's nuclear ambitions but the findings were met with scepticism in Israel and drew warnings from Washington.
The report, which represents the consensus of the 16 US intelligence agencies, including the CIA and the National Security Agency, contradicted Bush administration assertions that Iran intends to develop nuclear weapons.
The US National Intelligence Estimate [NIE] report said Iran halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003. While the report made it clear that Tehran's atomic plans were peaceful, it added that Iran could decide at any point to resume its efforts to develop a nuclear weapon.
Commenting on the report, US President George W. Bush on Monday said the international community should continue to pressure Iran on its nuclear programme and the report provides an opportunity.
Israeli warning
"I view this report as a warning signal that they had the programme, they halted the programme," Bush said at a press conference last night. "The reason why it's a warning signal is they could restart it.
"To me, the NIE provides an opportunity for us to rally the international community - to continue to rally the community - to pressure the Iranian regime to suspend its programme," the US president said. "What's to say they couldn't start another covert nuclear weapons programme."
Israel also reacted with warnings and calls to exert pressure on Tehran.
"We discussed this report with leaders of the [US] administration," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told reporters. "It is vital to pursue efforts to prevent Iran from developing a capability like this and we will continue doing so along with our friends, the United States."
Iran Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told state radio: "It's natural that we welcome it when those countries who in the past have questions and ambiguities about this case ... now amend their views realistically."
— With additional inputs from agencies
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