I totally agree with Peter Lewin's entry that Bush "suddenly" coming to this view is definetely suspect. Does not make sense. Much more is going on
Saignonaise

F. McAndrew, Saignon, france

What amazes me is how easily placated some people are when it comes to dealing with tyrants and madmen.

Peace in our time, right?

gb, Austin, USA

More worrying than this is the state in Pakistan. Corruption is at its highest as the leader of the country has decided to take matters into his own hands. But whilst the country loses grip on its leader maybe it will lose its grip on the nuclear weapons they have? Just a thought.......

steve, London, uk

This looks like a pre-emptive move by 16 intelligence agencies to head off the Cheney inspired plan to bomb Iran. This is significant, because these agencies rarely agree with each other about anything. It's doubly significant because the Generals, in as diplomatic a way as possible, a couple of weeks ago basically told the Commander In Chief that there was not going to be a War on Iran. There is a very significant realignment of power going on here, and poor Bush hasn't got the slightest idea what's happening.

RichC, Boston, MA

The C.I.A, the NSA & the state department protecting their butts...nothing else....

clay , NY , NY

One can only conclude all the warmongering from Israeli-US apologists has been on no evidence. So why were diplomats in UN kowtowing to these people and preparing to impose sanctions?

Jonathan, Auckland, New Zealand

I prefer to take notice of President Ahmadinejad own exclamations that nobody will stop his country from enriching Uranium (for what?) and that my postage stamp country should be blown off the map.

Avraham Makeler, Rehovot, Israel

make up your mind US. Jim

jim, donegal, ireland

YIKES -- The Dec 10 cover of Macleans magazine (for which Barbara Amiel writes) asks, "Is it time to bomb Iran?"

Now that this intelligence information has come to light, I guess that the sensible answer would be most definitely NOT!

Dec 10... hmmmm. what else is notable about that date?

Robert Miller, Halifax, Canada

After Iraq, how can anyone believe what we are to0ld by US intelligence? The terms 'US' and 'intelligence' seem totally contradictory when placed in sequence.

David, Uzes, France

There was always going to be a certain inevitability about the comments to this report. Because, whichever way the report went, there would be some antiBush rhetoric.

If the report said that Iran was continuing its nuclear program, commenters would claim that it was all a setup to justify a Bush war on Iran.

If the report said, as it did, that Iran has dropped its weapons program, the commenters would say that it proves Bush wrong.

The point is, no matter which way the report goes, its not possible for Bush to be right.

William McIlhagga, Ilkley,

First you see a nuclear weapons program and now you don't.
It's the way Bush and Blair Pen and Teller'ed it.

What can you believe their Ye Olde Worlde Pork Pie Factory

K. Urban, London, UK

Muscular diplomacy from muscle brain people.

Tony Chavez, London, UK

In the light of global warming I think every country should have access to nuclear technology, as a stop gap until alternative energy really comes on tap.
If Iran had nuclear weapons wouldn't the M.A.D principle apply still, say in the case of Israel. If it was good enough for us in the cold war why wouldn't it apply anymore? unless the whole cold war was bogus .

Keith Bentham, Wigan, Lancashire

So what"s new?.

Dirty Dick, Taunton, UK

A Nobel Peace prize for President Bush? Now there's a moral travesty for you.

Mayadeva, London, Canada

Ah, but do they have any shiny, pointy things that might be called rockets?

KR, Stockport,

Let`s see what will happened.

eagle, Tianjin, CHINA

Thank goodness for this report, now Bush can claim victory after all this sabre-rattling and not get himself into another war that he cannot win. The problems he has in Iraq maybe what can save Iran from the same fate.

Michael, Christchurch, New Zealand

michael tindall, Christchurch, new zealand

Presumably, this is the US intelligence services protecting themselves from the sort of public manipulation that went on over the invasion of Iraq. They were left then with a lot of egg on their faces over their failure to rein in Bush's public statements, exaggerations and falsehoods. Now, the CIA et al. have gone public to prevent a deja-vu over Iran: Dick Cheney and friends must be so disappointed in this newly-found accountability to the US (and also the world) public.

Martin Baldwin-Edwards, Athens, Greece

Heartening to see that those who loudly derided what US Intelligence evaluated four years ago, now regard them as being the font of all knowledge. Read the report and take in what it says, a clue can be seen in the "Heading" for this article:

"Iran halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003, US agencies say"

Now if that report had stated that Iran had renounced its nuclear weapons programme that would mean something, halted merely suggests that it can be restarted at anytime in the future.

Bill, Stavanger, Norway

Oh dear. That's torn it.

Ubi, Edinburgh, UK

This report will make it easy for Mr Bush to talk to Iran, and get Iran's help to make peace in the Middle East before Mr Bush leave office, then he might get the Nobel Peace Prize. Smart Mr Bush.

mohsen, malaga, spain

Bush has "suddenly" come to this view?
Does not make sense. Much more is going on
Peter Lewin, Northwood, Middlesex

Bush is going to declare victory. This is proof that his plan of waiting two or three years after they stopped and then threatening war actually worked. We're so fortunate to have a Republican as President of the United States who can achieve such great victories simply by taking into account the past.

leopold, Dallas, Texas, US

And our "beloved" president causes our credibility to sink even a bit lower in the world...

jp, charlotte, nc, usa

Muscular diplomacy will not work and is only designed for myopic short term foreign policy.
Chayan, London

I don't think it has anything at all to do with any sort of foreign policy, short or long term. The Bushies aren't really that interested in foreign anything. They are mainly interested domestic policy in America, in amassing unlimited power for themselves by creating a vast threat that only they can protect us all from. Then they will go about what they are really interested in, looting the world and distributing the spoils to their friends and relatives who are capable of helping them gain even more power and wealth. The ideology is there, but it is mostly a smoke screen.

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

Bush has "suddenly" come to this view?
Does not make sense. Much more is going on

Peter Lewin, Northwood, Middlesex

I can hear President Ahmadinejad saying "I told you. I told you - see".

Shoukat, London, UK

It seems that the Bush/Cheney junta has been lying
to us about WMDs in Iran. Who would ever think they would do something like that???????

Bruce L. Northwood, Washington, D.C., USA

We do not have a need for nuclaer weapons. We are determined to have a civilian nuclear programme including the fuel cycle. These are
the assertions made by Iran. The US intelligence reports support this assertion. So what next, the Iranians should not train any chemists and the should not have any microbioligists because they too can make chemical and biological weapons. So where does our demand end and where do we go from here ? Muscular diplomacy will not work and is only designed for myopic short term foreign policy. The focus should now be to engage with Iran and to vigorously pursue democratic change.
This will require a regime change and the regime in Iran is much more exposed and ready to be toppled than most people think. To go down this path, we must ask the chinese to stay home as this is a value beyond their comprehension.
The focus for change must directly and deliberately select the regime leaders and expose their corrupt and criminal ways. This is not intereference

Chayan, London, UK