Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=7/30/2003

TYPE=ON THE LINE SHORT

NUMBER=1-01367

TITLE=IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM

INTERNET=Yes

EDITOR=OFFICE OF POLICY 619-0038

CONTENT= INSERTS IN DALET

Voice: This is On the Line and I'm ______________. Iran claims that its aggressive development of nuclear facilities is only for peaceful purposes. But United Nations inspectors recently found evidence that Iran has facilities to produce enriched uranium that can be used for making nuclear weapons:

Voice: Michael Waller is a professor at the Institute of World Politics. He says there is no doubt that Iran has a nuclear weapons program:

ACT1 MICHAEL WALLER 0:18

"It's quite a strong program. The mullahs who are running around want to create themselves as a regional power that can basically threaten any of their neighbors and prevent the United States or other democracies from intervening."

Voice: Michael Levi of the Brookings Institution says that Iran probably hasn't developed nuclear weapons yet, but is definitely seeking the capability to develop these weapons of mass destruction:

ACT2 MICHAEL LEVI 0:13

"I'm not convinced that it's made the decision to cross that line yet. But I'm pretty convinced that it wants to put the whole infrastructure in place so that it could take a quick step to getting a substantial number of nuclear weapons within several months of deciding to do so."

Voice: Ilan Berman is vice president for policy at the American Foreign Policy Council. Mr. Berman says that according to U.S. and other estimates, Iran now has several nuclear facilities "in various stages of operability scattered around the country":

ACT3 ILAN BERMAN 0:28

"They've learned the lesson of Iraq very well. When the Iraqi Osirak reactor was destroyed in the early 1980s, they understood that they need to conceal and harden their targets, so that nothing like that would ever happen to them. What we have now is we have a very daunting task ahead of us, which is to actually begin to sketch the outlines of what could be a very robust, aggressive, military-use nuclear program. We're only beginning to scratch the surface with these few revelations recently."

Voice: The way to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat, says Michael Waller of the Institute of World Politics, is to in his words "Get rid of the regime":

ACT4 MICHAEL WALLER 0:15

"The key to doing that is supporting the huge freedom, pro-democracy movement that's sweeping Iran right now. Helping them take power in their own country. Get[ting] rid of the Mullahs running it will do a lot to reduce Iran's danger to its neighbors and the rest of the world."

Voice: The United States is committed to stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons. As President George W. Bush said, "Iran must cooperate fully with the [International Atomic Energy Agency], remedy all failures and answer all questions. It must also sign and implement an additional protocol, without delay or conditions, as a significant first step towards addressing those concerns." For On the Line, I'm ________________.