In my view the report is well-balanced and fair. Some of your commentators have ignored the fact that enrichment from 3.5% to weapons grade of roughly 90% is an easier task than going up to 3.5%. Also ignored by the commentators as well as the reporters is the Iranian heavy water reactor at Arak which would be quite useful in the production of plutonium provided that the Tehran regime has (or is) preparing the necessary chemical reprocessing facility.

Enhanced sanctions by the EU and US are the minimum necessary form of coercion to induce the Tehran government to be more forthcoming regarding the goal(s) of their nuclear program. Certainly it is not prudent given the regime's past history to merely trust without verification. It is not yet time to resort to force, but that time, as the French FM indicated may come sooner rather than later.

Dr Mark Mercer, Walnut Creek, New Mexico

The moralistic stuff about Iran's right to nuclear weapons is liberal democracy gone mad. Here we have a very unstable regime and president running an unpleasant police state, bent on expanding their power and Shiite dogma over a fair slice of the middle east powder keg, eliminating Israel and dominating a good proportion of the world's oil.

Terrific news. But let's do nothing and hope the nasty men go away, eh. Unfortunately, Ahmadinejad and his cronies are rather similar in outlook, ambition and method to Adolf and his cronies and these people don't tend to go away. The lesson we know is that they keep coming until someone stands up to them. Clinton? Pelossi? Some hope!

The Saudis made a very sensible proposal that Iran's uranium was manufactured in a neutral country, under IAEA control, to which all middle east countries would have access for nuclear power. It's illuminating how quickly the Iranians dodged round that one. Seems they want the power and the weapons, soon as.

royc, London, UK

Turn China against Iran and see what happens. The Chinese will soon start complaining loudly about the Nuclear intentions of their near neighbour.
I am astonished at your contributors who think that the U S has tamed the U N, when China and Russia continually thwart U S efforts regarding Iran.
As soon as Iran states that it has nuclear weapons then destroy the missile sites with pre-emptive strikes. The Russians and Chinese will make noisy protests but be secretly relieved at the removal of the threat.

Riley, Kyiv, Ukraine

nbow or never.the evil of iran is showing again,two options either we change this theological regeime and its evil leaders or destroy its capabilirty of making WMD or nuclear capability otherwise it would be too late for many inhabitants of this earth.those people heart are black as thier turbans. ROBERT

robert wintertton, NEW YORK, USA

Let them have the bomb - let's just get on with nuclear war.

Ellen Morris, Leeds,

Your title is simply a dangerous lie. IAEA report does not mention anything close.
Your logic is also completely flawed. You assume that the centrifuges enriching uranium to 3.5% purity can be used to produce weapon's grade uranium (at least 85%). A 2005 CIA report determined that it could take Iran 10 years to achieve this level of enrichment. Independent nuclear experts have stated that Iran would face formidable technical obstacles if it tried to enrich uranium beyond the 3.5% purity required for electricity generation (e.g. See Oxford Research Group's report). IAEA director reiterated in October that “our conclusion here is supported by every intelligence assessment I've seen that even if Iran has ambitions to develop nuclear weapons, it's still three to eight years away from that"
I find the reporting on this article irresponsible, unprofessional, misleading, and dangerous at a time when our world needs cool-headed public and politicians to deal with a boiling crisis.

hazhir rahmandad, falls church, va

Iran has shown the world that it now has the capability to produce nuclear weapons; and that is pushed, they will mass produce them. I think, therefore, now it is up to the United States to back off and stop provoking Iran into that path. No nation on earth would refuse to defend itself against bullies. Iran has as much right to stand up for itself as anyone else. West should respect Iranians and make friends before it is too late. It is obvious that Iranians dont scare easily. They would die rather than let Bush step on them. They are a proud people.

Z Hussain, Rochdale, UK

I do not know why the London Times continually inflames sentiment towards more and vastly destabilizing war in the Middle East. Iran will not waive its legal rights under the NPT to the fuel cycle for power generation. IAEA has zero evidence of 90% enrichment, required for bomb grade utilization. It is technically easy to detect that, as opposed to around 4% to fuel power plants producing electricity. This is the reasonable threshold to judge their intentions.

None of the foregoing is in denial of the many deficiencies of the IRI. I have recently toured extensively around the country, have seen the "fashion police" in action on the streets, and the huge portraits of the leaders of Guardian Council in the airports. Scary, but I also can attest that the vast majority of the population which is under age 30 wants fundamental change towards more personal freedom. It will happen in time if we do not blast them for WMD they do not have.

tarquinis, Seattle, USA

What an absolute rubbish piece of reporting ... Times you should be ashamed. Nowhere in the report does the IAEA even allude to the production of fissionable material for a bomb. There is a big difference to the 4% enrichment level needed for fuel and the 95% enrichment rate required for a bomb. Even the CIA stated that at best the Iranians would be 5-10 years away from producing a bomb.
Your report is misleading in the extreme. You seem to be taking your lead from the same charaters that lead us into that wonderfully successful operation in IRAQ.

Michael, Utrecht, Netherlands

The last credible reports showed Iran had only enriched Uranium to 3%: a long way from the 90% needed to make a bomb.
There are many other technical hurdles they must also overcome and then they need a delivery system for that bomb.
I would bet my life that Iran isn't close to building a nuke.
Pakistan already has them, not to mention the USSR and China .The USA has been foolish under Republican rule and has made the world much less safe and the American people much less free.

Rich Blackmoor, exton, pa

I think all of these are only arrogates. If Iran give up his peaceful nuclear program, US and other western governments will find another purports to make pressure to Iran! We experience this through the time!
It is better to Iran to resist against the pressures! I think behind all of these scenarios is Israel. Israel doesn't want a strong state in Middle east. its behavior shows lots of prof to this claim!

Sepehr, Tabriz, IRAN

So the moral of the story is who is more dangerous, the Iranian leader or the American leader. Do we really have to pick one over the other. One will be gone in a year, and the sooner the other is gone the better.

Christopher Hobe Morrison, Pine Bush, Ulster County, NY, USA

It is worthwhile looking at the timeline for Iraq and the asertions made by US and UK entities. Where were the WMDs and the missiles capable of reaching USA in Iraq.
It is so easy to forget the justifications that were used to persuade the Coallition of the Willing and the following results in Iraq.

Is this a prelude to a last fling of a once mighty power - and a President that cannot run again! Ratcheting up the nuclear development of Iran and setting Turkey against its neighbour is just a prelude! A prelude to a pre-emptive strike on Iran ?
US has tamed the UN but the neo-conservatives in the US have lost the goal of leadership of the world because they have lost the moral high ground.
As Al Gore says - Politicians are a renewable resource. Let us hope that we dont see a last fling by an Administration that cannot be re-elected.

Jowett , Santo Domingo, Carribean

Here we go again, another domino in the Middle East to be knocked over by America.
Why is it that America, Russia, China, England, France, Israel, Pakistan, India can have Nuclear weapons but not Iran, North Korea, etc.
Simple America daren't take on Russia or China, has allies? of England, France. Needs Pakistan and India to keep order in the region (whilst not Allies they are equals). Supports the Israeli's as the region paid policemen.
I consider (and have done since the 60s ) that all nuclear weapons should be abolished so maybe I am biased.

Howard, Basildon, England

The UN is nothing more then a pawn of the United States.
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, of which Iran is a member allows them the right of safe nuclear power, as long as they abide by IAEA (and not UN) Inspection). if the IAEA is satisfied, that should be the end of the story.

Hopefully Ron Paul becomes president and eliminates the US membership in the UN, As that would probobly put an end to the bullying of Iran.

Scott, Chilliwack, Canada