Published 22:54 28.03.12

Latest update 22:54 28.03.12

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Iran could recover from attack on its nuclear sites within six months, says U.S. report
U.S. congressional report says Israel and U.S.
do not know exact location of Iran nuclear facilities, which may be
dispersed in such a way that an Israeli attack would not be successful.


By
Haaretz


Iran could probably rebuild most of its
centrifuge workshops within six months after an attack on its nuclear
sites, according to a new report by U.S. congressional researchers,
Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.


The report by analysts at the Congressional
Research Service, citing interviews with current and former U.S.
officials, said that the Islamic Republic’s centrifuge “workshops” are
widely dispersed and hidden, which could complicate a potential Israeli
military strike.
According to the report, neither Israel nor the U.S. knows for certain
where Iran’s nuclear facilities are located and the possibility of
dispersed nuclear sites makes any assessment of a military strike’s
success more difficult. It is “unclear what the ultimate effect of a
strike would be on the likelihood of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons,”
Bloomberg quoted the report as saying.


The congressional researchers said that,
“An attack that left Iran’s conversion and centrifuge production
facilities intact would considerably reduce” the time Iran would need to
resume its nuclear activities.


Moreover, the researches quoted a former
U.S. official as saying that Iran could probably replicate most of its
centrifuge workshops within six months.


The International Atomic Energy Agency has
recently voiced “serious concerns” about possible military dimensions to
Iran’s nuclear activities.


Iran denies suspicions that it is covertly
seeking nuclear weapons capability, in part by coordinating efforts to
process uranium, test high explosives and revamp a ballistic missile
cone to accommodate a nuclear warhead.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/iran-could-recover-from-attack-on-its-nuclear-sites-within-six-months-says-u-s-report-1.421344