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Threat Assessment: Iran, Iraq and North Korea Constitute Threat, CIA Director Says By Mike Nartker “Weapons of mass destruction programs are becoming more advanced and effective as they mature, and as countries of concern become more aggressive in pursuing them,” Tenet said. He added that the spread of technology and the increased use of dual-use technology have also aided rogue nations’ WMD programs. Tenet outlined WMD programs of Iran, Iraq and North Korea, as described in a recently released CIA report, to the committee (see GSN, Jan. 31). North Korea is abiding by the 1994 Agreed Framework, under which it suspended nuclear weapon activities, but has threatened to leave the agreement if the United States does not live up to its side of the arrangement, Tenet said (see GSN, Dec. 5). Such a move could see resumption of North Korean attempts to develop nuclear weapons. Iraq has continued to develop an infrastructure it could use to develop weapons of mass destruction, Tenet said. Iraq has expanded civilian chemical industries in such ways that they could easily be changed over to chemical weapon production, he said (see GSN, Dec. 21). Tenet added that Iraq also has never stopped attempting to develop nuclear weapons. Iraq still has a supply of nuclear scientists, past program information and dual-use manufacturing capability that could be used in a restarted nuclear weapon development program, he said. The immediate U.S. concern was preventing Iraq from acquiring fissile material, Tenet said. The CIA considers Iran a threat because of its attempts to develop weapons of mass destruction and missile technology, Tenet said. He added that Iran might be able to produce enough fissile material, on its own, to construct a nuclear weapon before the end of the decade. India and Pakistan are both seen as attempting to further develop their nuclear weapons programs, Tenet said. Both countries may not be finished with nuclear testing and may not be able to deploy more advanced weapons without testing them, he said. Missile Threat “The proliferation of ICBM and cruise missile design and technology has raised the threat to the United States from weapons of mass destruction delivery systems to a critical threshold,” Tenet said (see GSN, Jan. 10). Iran and North Korea, as well as possibly Iraq, could be able to target the United States with an ICBM by 2015, he said (see GSN, Jan. 10). North Korea has continued to sell entire missiles to other countries, as well as production technology, materials and information, Tenet said. The money generated from these sales has helped North Korea further develop its WMD and missile programs, which in turn provide new products to sell to rogue states, such as Libya, Syria and Iran, he said.
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