US claims to have "solid information" about Iran's WMD programs

The US government on Friday defended Secretary of State Colin Powell's comments this week on Iranian missile projects, saying it has "solid information to substantiate clandestine Iranian efforts" in developing weapons of mass destruction.

"The State Department stands by the comments of the secretary and what the secretary said is valid and stands up," deputy spokesman of the State Department Adam Ereli told a news briefing.

"We believe we are on very, very solid ground in pointing to a clandestine effort by Iran to develop weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems," Ereli said.

The State Department official made the remarks after the Washington Post reported Friday that Powell's information had been based on what one senior official called an "unvetted, single source" and said that many in the Washington intelligence community had been caught by surprise and angered by the secretary's disclosure.

The newspaper said that the intelligence, which two US officials said had not been verified, could be significant if true but an embarrassment if not, reminiscent of Powell's February 2003 UN speech about Iraq's alleged n weapons of mass destruction, which was based on dubious intelligence and had so far proved untrue.

Powell told reporters on Wednesday en route to a meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders in Chile that Washington has information suggesting that Iran is seeking to adapt its missiles to carry nuclear warheads.

"I have seen some information that would suggest that they've been actively working on delivery systems to deliver," Powell said, adding that he was talking about Iranian efforts to attach warheads to the missiles.

"There is no doubt in my mind ... that they are interested in a nuclear weapon that have utility, meaning that this is something they would be able to deliver," he said. "I'm talking of information that suggest they were working hard as to how you could put the two together."

Iran has modified its medium-range Shahab-3 missile with a range of 1,300 km, capable of hitting Israel.

The US claimed that Iran was capable of enriching uranium, the key ingredient in a nuclear bomb since at least 2002.

Source: Xinhua