National Security Advisor Steven Hadley comments on Iran

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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STORYLINE 1. Wide of US National Security Adviser, Stephen Hadley, walking into briefing room 2. Cutaway of Hadley 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Hadley, US National Security Adviser: "On balance, the estimate is good news. On one hand, it confirms that we were right to be worried about Iran seeking to develop nuclear weapons. On the other hand, it tells us that we have made some progress in trying to ensure that that does not happen. But it also tells us that the risk of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon remains a very serious problem." 4. Cutaway of reporters 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Hadley, US National Security Adviser: "The estimate offers grounds for hope that the problem can be solved diplomatically, without the use of force, as the administration has been trying to do. And it suggests we have the right strategy: intensified international pressure, along with a willingness to negotiate a solution that serves Iranian interests while ensuring the world that it will never have to face a nuclear-armed Iran." 6. Cutaway of cameraman 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Hadley, US National Security Adviser: "If we are to avoid the grim choice between accepting an Iran on the path to nuclear weapons or considering the use of force, we need to intensify our pressure on Iran, while making clear that if they do suspend enrichment, there is an opportunity for better relations." 8. Cutaway of Hadley during press briefing 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Hadley, US National Security Adviser: "I don't think we were wrong about what it's (the Iranian government) doing or what its intentions were. Our concern was that they were pursuing a nuclear weapon. We saw the enrichment, which we couldn't really explain; we saw the ballistic missiles. And it led people to conclude: we are concerned that they were pursuing a nuclear weapons program and might have a covert programme to actually weaponise highly-enriched uranium in order to be a nuclear weapon. And that's what the NIE (National Intelligence Estimate) has now discovered." 10. Cutaway of reporters 11. Wide back shot of Hadley at podium STORYLINE A new US government intelligence report said Iran halted its nuclear weapons development programme in the fall of 2003 under international pressure but is continuing to enrich uranium, which means it may still be able to produce enough fissile material for a weapon in three to eight years, senior US intelligence officials said on Monday. The new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran is a change from two years ago, when US intelligence agencies believed Tehran was determined to develop a nuclear capability and was continuing its weapons development programme. The report suggests that Iran is susceptible to diplomatic pressure, officials said. "The estimate offers grounds for hope that the problem can be solved diplomatically, without the use of force," US National Security Adviser, Stephen Hadley, told reporters at a press briefing in Washington DC. According to the unclassified summary of the secret report, "Tehran's decision to halt its nuclear weapons programme suggests it is less determined to develop nuclear weapons than we have been judging since 2005." The report credits the halt to international pressure, suggesting Tehran is more pragmatic and susceptible to threats, diplomatic overtures and financial sanctions than previously thought. The findings come at a time of escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, which US President George W. Bush has labelled part of an "axis of evil," along with ousted President Saddam Hussein's Iraq and North Korea. The halt to active weapons development is one of the key judgments of the latest intelligence estimate on Iran's nuclear programme. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/acdd6b266a8ecd6030e55555ab74d9a7 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork