New NIE on Iran delayed
The reasons behind the latest delay are murky; two of the officials said the precise reasons for the latest delay are classified. But it is likely that the various intel agencies are still reviewing, revising, and debating the document to reach an agreement about what it should say. In the past, this has been a long and sometimes contentious process. The final product is supposed to reflect the consensus view of U.S. intelligence as a whole, though dissents often pepper the footnotes.
But in some ways the report update seems a bit of domestic political kabuki, since that judgement is clearly not informing the Obama adminitration's thinking. The U.S., as well as Russia, France, the UK and the International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors have rebuked Iran for failing to disclose a secret enrichment facility in Qom under construction since 2006. U.S. officials have previously indicated they believe Iran is hiding nuclear trigger research it has conducted. A report earlier this month by the IAEA's Director General Yukiya Amano says Iran is not fully cooperating with the Agency and the Agency can therefore not be sure that Iran's nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes.
Israel Matzav: New NIE on Iran delayed
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