Region | Iran
Iran 'not close' to nuclear weapon, says Pentagon's Gates
Iran is not close to having a nuclear weapon, which gives the United States and others time to try to persuade Tehran to abandon its suspected atomic arms programme, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Sunday.
- Agencies
- Published: 22:51 March 1, 2009
Washington: Iran is not close to having a nuclear weapon, which gives the United States and others time to try to persuade Tehran to abandon its suspected atomic arms programme, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Sunday.
"They're not close to a stockpile, they're not close to a weapon at this point, and so there is some time," Gates said on NBC television's "Meet The Press."
Gates' comments followed a televised interview with Admiral Mike Mullen, head of the USmilitary Joint Chiefs of Staff, who told CNN's "State of the Union" that he believed Iran has enough fissile material to make a nuclear bomb.
"We think they do, quite frankly," Mullen said.
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