US terms Al Qaeda biggest threat: Iran, N. Korea ‘states of highest concern’
WASHINGTON, Feb 2: Iran and North Korea are ‘states of highest concern’ because of the danger of nuclear proliferation, but Al Qaeda remains the top US security threat, the chief of US intelligence said on Thursday.
Ambassador John Negroponte, director of national intelligence, said Al Qaeda is a ‘battered but resourceful’ organization that has expanded its reach through affiliates and is actively plotting attacks against the United States.
“Attacking the United States homeland, United States interests overseas and United States allies in that order are Al Qaeda’s top operational priorities,” Mr Negroponte said.
“The group will attempt high-impact attacks for as long as its central command structure is functioning and affiliated groups are capable of furthering its interests,” he said.
Al Qaeda is more likely to use conventional weapons in any attack on the United States but it continues to be interested in acquiring chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological weapons, he said.
Mr Negroponte made the assessment in an annual report to Congress on worldwide threats, ranging from the ‘war on terrorism’, to Iraq, Iran and North Korea.
His report labelled Iran and North Korea ‘states of highest concern’ because of their nuclear programs.
“The ongoing development of dangerous weapons and delivery systems constitutes the second major threat to the safety of our nation, our deployed troops, and to our allies,” he said.
“We are most concerned about the threat and destabilizing effect of nuclear proliferation,” he said.
He cited a nearly two-decades old clandestine uranium enrichment program as evidence that Iran seeks nuclear weapons despite its claims to the contrary.
“We judge that Tehran probably does not yet have a nuclear weapon and probably has not yet produced or acquired the necessary fissile material.
“Nevertheless, the danger that it will acquire a nuclear weapon and the ability to integrate it with the ballistic missiles Iran already possesses is a reason for immediate concern,” he said.
Iran under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is ‘more confident and assertive than it has been since the early days of the Islamic Republic’, he said.
The prospect of instability threatening the Iranian government was Unlikely, although Mr Ahmadinejad’s inexperience and rhetorical recklessness could lead to missteps, he said.
Iran’s policies toward Iraq were a ‘particular concern’, Mr Negroponte said, saying Tehran seeks a Shia-dominated Iraq but wants Washington to suffer setbacks in its efforts to establish democracy and stability.
He accused Iran of providing weapons and training to Shia militias to enable attacks on US forces, including the capability to make shaped explosives that have increased the lethality of roadside bombs in Iraq.
Iran also is enhancing the ability of its military to project force in the Gulf with an eye to disrupting US military operations and reinforcements in the region, and intimidating US allies in the Gulf, he said.
Turning to North Korea, Mr Negroponte said its claims to have nuclear weapons were ‘probably true’.
“We do not know the conditions under which North Korea would be willing to fully relinquish its nuclear weapons and its programs,” he said.
“Nor do we see signs of organised opposition to the regime among North Korea’s political and military elite,” he said.
IRAQ: Mr Negroponte devoted a substantial part of the briefing to the situation in Iraq, generally affirming the administration’s view that elections, the growth of Iraqi security forces, and signs of divisions in the resistance are evidence of progress.
But he said numerous challenges remain, the main one being disaffection among Sunnis.
“There almost certainly will be a lag time before we see a dampening effect on the insurgency,” he said. “Insurgents continue to demonstrate the ability to recruit, supply and attack coalition and security forces.”
