Intelligence officials tell Washington Post that drones, satellites and eavesdropping mean the US will know if Tehran starts to build a nuclear bomb
The Washington Post carried an article in its Sunday edition that would appear to fit in with the Obama administration's mind games with Tehran just days before talks over Iran's nuclear programme. It also looks to be part of the chess game Washington is playing with Israel as the White House attempts to stave off a military attack on Iran at least until after the US election in November.
The Post wrote that American intelligence drones have penetrated so deep into Iran, and Tehran's communications are so effectively bugged, that the US administration can say with virtual certainty that Tehran is not constructing a nuclear bomb, and that if it starts Washington will know.
The article opens:
The bat-winged aircraft penetrated more than 600 miles inside the country, captured images of Iran's secret nuclear facility at Qom and then flew home. All the while, analysts at the CIA and other agencies watched carefully for any sign that the craft, dubbed the RQ-170 Sentinel, had been detected by Tehran's air defenses on its maiden voyage.
"There was never even a ripple," said a former senior U.S. intelligence official involved in the previously undisclosed mission.
And so it goes on, revealing how CIA drones have apparently been criss-crossing inside Iran, peering into nuclear corners while satellite cameras zoom in and the National Security Agency listens in to the phones. Then there is the "expanded network of spies" working on Iran, although it's not clear where they're spying from.
What would seem to be clear is that the Obama administration has delivered up the story to the Post as the pressure builds on Iran ahead of Friday's nuclear talks in Turkey.
But it's also likely to be about reassuring Israel that if a deal emerges that falls short of Binyamin Netanyahu's demand for the dismantling of Tehran's underground nuclear facilities and the end of its higher grade uranium enrichment programme, there's no need for the bombers to take off just yet.
One quote says much:
"Even in the absolute worst case — six months — there is time for the president to have options," said the senior U.S. official.
Of course, the Israelis have been told this endlessly in private. But a little public reassurance helps.