ISRAEL HAS EVIDENCE IRAN DEVELOPING NUKE

Former NSC head Mizrahi: Iran a major threat even without nukes (JPOST)

Even without a nuclear bomb, Iran's acquisition of nuclear capability would dramatically destabilize the strategic balance in the Middle East, outgoing National Security Council head Ilan Mizrahi told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday, a week after a United States intelligence report claimed Iran was not developing a nuclear weapon.

Claiming Israel had concrete evidence that Iran was developing a nuclear weapon, Mizrahi, who stepped down from his post last week after a year and a half, said the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) released last week "smelled of politics," came at a very "difficult time" and played into the hands of Russia and China, who oppose imposing additional sanctions on Iran.

He said that Israel's evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons demonstrated the urgency of stopping the country's nuclear program as soon as possible. Its unprecedented development of long-range missiles was also an indication that it aspired to nuclear capability and planned to project its power throughout the entire Middle East and South Asia, he said.

"The evidence that we in the State of Israel have is such that I have no doubt that Iran is advancing toward a [nuclear] weapons program," said Mizrahi, who in the past served as deputy head of the Mossad. "I cannot provide more details, but I am convinced that they are moving toward a military program."