The latest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) is quelling the alarm that Iran is intent on arming itself with nuclear weapons in the near future. Is it possible that this is in fact the case? Or is this latest announcement peppered with politicized intelligence and in fact is an underhanded jab at Israel?
The back story on the tension between the US and Israel has to do with Israel ignoring American requests to stop building Jewish settlements in the contested territories west of the Jordan River. Israel, in relation to the Iranian threat, has done somewhat of a remarkable job in lobbying the rest of the world as to the dangers of a nuclear capable Iran. Furthermore, Israel has exposed and possibly may have destroyed (in Syria) some of Iran's nuclear building initiatives.
So by the US deflating the Iranian threat, Israel loses some global support for any unilateral actions it may take against Iran. With the Iranian threat in the background, the focus on an Israel West Bank compromise will be all the more prevalent.
No sooner do I write this than I read about the US scrapping the Missile Base Defense initiative in Europe. The Obama administration argued that the resources meant for this program can be better used to contain the Iranian missile threat (nuclear or otherwise I suppose).
http://www.newsweek.com/id/215529
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32889934/ns/politics-white_house
