US: Iran still undecided on nuclear bomb

Defense Secretary Panetta says Washington will not allow Tehran to develop nukes, close Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON (AP) — US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday that Iran is enriching uranium in a disputed nuclear program but that Tehran has not made a decision on whether to proceed with development of an atomic bomb.

“We will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. This isn’t just about containment. We will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon,” Panetta told the House Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee. “We will not allow Iran to close the Straits of Hormuz. And in addition to that, obviously, we have expressed serious concerns to Iran about the spread of violence and the fact that they continue to support terrorism and they continue to try to undermine other countries.”

Fears of a nuclear-armed Iran produced tough talk from Panetta and the top US intelligence officials, all of whom offered insights and observations on the secretive regime in separate congressional hearings. Their testimony came amid increasing international fears of a conflagration in the Middle East as Iran boasted of major advances in producing nuclear fuel and threatened an oil embargo in retaliation for economic and diplomatic sanctions.

The Pentagon chief delivered US President Barack Obama’s oft-repeated statement that “we do keep all options on the table.”

Panetta, formerly the director of the CIA, said US intelligence shows that Iran is continuing its uranium enrichment program. “But the intelligence does not show that they’ve made the decision to proceed with developing a nuclear weapon. That is the red line that would concern us and that would ensure that the international community, hopefully together, would respond,” he said.