Iran on Monday accused the US Central Intelligence Agency of waging psychological warfare against it through “fake reports,” saying the CIA knows Tehran’s nuclear programme has no military aims.
Foreign ministry spoke-sman Ramin Mehmanparast dismissed CIA director Leon Panetta’s comments that Iran could have nuclear weapons ready to use by as early as 2012. “Such remarks fall within the framework of psychological warfare aimed at creating a negative perception about Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities,” Mr Mehmanparast told state news agency IRNA. “The American officials, especially their intelligence apparatus, know that Iran’s nuclear programme is in no way a military one but is aimed at peaceful purposes,” he said.
“Those who bring up such fake reports seek to deflect world public opinion from the main concern... the nuclear arsenals of several countries and a certain regime,” he said in apparent reference to Iran’s arch-foe Israel. Speaking on ABC network’s This Week programme, Mr Panetta said that Iran has manufactured enough low-enriched uranium for two atomic weapons. He said Tehran would need a year to enrich it fully to produce a bomb, and that it would take “another year to develop the kind of weapon delivery system in order to make that viable.”