Reading your article prompts the thought as to whether peace would ever materialise in the Middle East and how that might be. Undoubtedly one condition for it s appearance would be the withdrawal of American interests, and then what would the Americans do. It is an unpromising prospect as it would require a change in the present general attitude.

Henry Percy, London, UK

If accurate, clear vindication of the Bush Doctrine.

"The future of the world will be determined by free people." GWBush, an emancipation proclamation for the entire world.

Killbuzz, Kandahar,

The same intelligence services that 'failed to connect the dots' are all of a sudden reliable providers of the truth. No doubt Bush pressured them into saying this.

Ian Board, Mission Viejo, California, USA

Iran wanted world domination? Since when? Even so, what gives those who have world domination today the right to have it over others, particularly when they are guilty of the greatest crimes e.g. Guantanamo bay - so long as this injustice exists, the moral high ground has been eroded and we should seek to improve conditions in the US as well as relations with Iran and everyone else, everywhere else. Diplomacy is a lost art in this modern age - its about time it was revived.

Farrukh, Woking, UK

Condolences to all the psychotic warmongers who won't get their war. At least later than they think.

Stuart, Manchester, England

A typcial article from The Times's own Neo-Con: Gerard Baker.

Paul, London,

No matter which way you look at it, this is another victory for Bush and his foreign policy. Peace to the Middle East and the world.

Michael, London, UK

If US intelligence is normally inaccurate why pay any attention to it at all? To argue that the reverse to its findings is consequently probably true is bizarre.

Iran's behaviour in the middle east is no different than the US's behaviour in central and south america. Each country tries to exert influence in its geographic region.

How about trying some objective analysis Mr Baker.

Marek, London,

The UK and US have spent over 60 years destabilizing the middle east. It is no surprise that we are considered as the enemy. If we sent doctors and engineers over there rather than soldiers then the Iraqi people would love us, and we would not have to worry about their military capabilities, because we wouldn't be the enemy.

Bryan, Londno, United Kingdom

As always, these wrangles will be settled by events.
On the 6th December 1941, Franklin Roosevelt couldn't get the United States into World War 2 with a crowbar. One day later, if he'd tried to keep them out, they'd have tarred and feathered him.
Let's see what happens when a western city gets hit with nuclear material traced back to Iran.

Ken Leyland, Liverpool, U.K.

The only superior spies in Britain are Russian moles.

Peter, Ontario, , Canada

ah yes the iranians enriching uranium to 3% and running 3000 centrifuges, they only need another 23000 centrifuges working together and enrichment to 95% ..

and then they might have one deliverable nuke in maybe 10 years or more ..and at present they have possibly if not a thousand nukes directed at them certainly hundreds ..

yes we must be really scared ... of the iranian threat ..

wendy mann, glasgow,

As I understand it, there is no real difference between a nuclear programme for energy purposes and one for weapons development. All that is different is the degree of purity of the U235, and it should not be beyond the wit of man, particularly the not inconsiderable wit of Iranians, to do either. However, it is one thing to develop a weapon. The other, considerably trickier puzzle to solve is how it is going to be delivered. That should now be the area for intensive analysis.

Nicholas Lee, Windsor, UK

It seems and said that Bush wants to keep pressure on Iran despite of a negative intelligence report regarding its nuclear weapon program, drummed several times to terrorize that country. Sometimes too many empty words loose its significance.

M.R Rambler, Karachi, Pakistan

"Why does a country with huge oil and gas reserves need a civil nuclear programme?"

So their oil could be sold to make huge amounts of money?
Next you'll be asking why do they need money.

Mohammed, London, UK

Iran is subverting democratically elected governments? And who subverted its democratically elected government in the 1950s?
Hamas won democratically, but that was "bad" democracy, as was Mosaddeq's.
Perhaps we should look back more often through our own "cliched prisms" with which we view the world.

Mark Dearn, Chatham,

Why does a country with huge oil and gas reserves need a civil nuclear programme?

Dave Robins, West Drayton,

no lesly johnson

iraq was close to having nukes during the FIRST gulf war

then they had given up for 10 years when america invaded

and then iran gaveup on nukes

Gerben, Den Haag,

So Iraq was close to having nukes when the Americans invaded?
Around the same time, Iran gave up on it's race for nukes?
Could this be because the threat from next door had been removed? Not because of the threat of a US led invasion?
You say that Iran has been "spreading it's influence through the Middle East" Can the same not be said for the US?

Lesly Jonson, Praha, Czech Rep.

Im guessing that Iran "suspended" as opposed to stopped their nuclear bomb program because the western intelligence agencies were frustrating their efforts to aquire fissile material. That is why there are underground galleries of centrifuges busily enriching uraniam right now.

Im also guessing that Ahmadinejad is playing for time by talking of moving enrichment to Switzerland etc bla bla until Mr Bush leaves office.

Has anybody asked Mrs Clinton or Obama what they will do when they get the report in 2010 that Iran has carried out an underground nuclear test?

peter, limassol,

Nice analysis.

It amazes me that those who belittle US intelligence as always wrong, can latch onto to something like this and draw concrete conclusions (which support their own views of course) without a moment's thought. Surely if US intelligence is always wrong, it is reckless to rely on even this piece of US intelligence.

But I digress. It's good that pressure on Iran seems to have paid off. Far from embarrassing the US, this latest revelation should be a feather in its cap.

I sincerely hope, though, that they keep up the pressure.

Mike, Sydney, Australia

Seems there are still some with a conscience, or at least a degree of pragmatism within the US intelligence community. Because someone has deflated the tyres on the Bush Administration war wagon. Appears the "building a thermo-nuclear weapon" justification for the pending attack on Iran just cratered. The Angels only have to stall the Bush Neocons for another year and there'll be a whole new ball game. Assuming Bush doesn't find a "state of emergency" reason to postpone the presidential election. If that happens all bets are off, so better start checking out nice, neutral Buddhist countries as part of your contingency planning.

Andrew Milner, Yokohama, Japan

You criticize American Intelligence, but I don't see MI5 or MI6 doing a damn thing! Why don't you send your superior spies over to Iran so they can determine the truth and enlighten us all. Intelligence gathering is very much an inexact science, which is why these reports are called 'estimates,' not foregone conclusions.

James Jones, Columbus, USA/ OHIO

I just saw a flock of pigs fly past my window.

Zen, London,