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Leak Forced Obama's Hand on Iran Nukes

By Caroline Miller,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 26, 2009 7:21 AM CDT
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(Newser) – Yesterday's surprise announcement at the G20 summit of the existence of a hidden Iranian nuclear enrichment facility wasn't the way President Obama planned to handle the information, Politico reports. His hand was forced by a reporter who learned of a letter in which Iran notified the UN's nuclear watchdog agency in Vienna of the previously undisclosed site under construction since 2005 in a mountain near Qom.

 

AP reporter George Jahn broke the story yesterday morning, but he is thought to have tipped off western officials to its existence earlier, prompting Obama to share the information with heads of state in Pittsburgh, and go public. He'd have preferred to keep the information private ahead of next week's international talks with Iran. "We would have been better off not announcing and keeping it as leverage and a way to see if the Iranians kept their word in a future deal,” an analyst tells Politico.
 

 


President Obama, flanked by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaks on Iran's nuclear facility, Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh.
President Obama, flanked by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaks on Iran's nuclear facility, Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
President Obama, Gordon Brown, and Nicolas Sarkozy leave the stage after making a joint statement on Iran's nuclear facility, Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, during the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh.
President Obama, Gordon Brown, and Nicolas Sarkozy leave the stage after making a joint statement on Iran's nuclear facility, Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, during the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Obama, followed by Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy arrives to make a statement on Iran's nuclear facility, Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, during the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh.
President Obama, followed by Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy arrives to make a statement on Iran's nuclear facility, Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, during the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh.   (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 16 comments
Caps
Sep 29, 2009 5:16 AM CDT
Learn how to spell thejoint00.
Face-Of-RNC
Sep 27, 2009 9:27 AM CDT
Please cite the facts. Or is this just your uninformed opinion?
thejoint00
Sep 26, 2009 11:02 AM CDT
Obama's mad because he wanted credit for finding it. but the question now is what will he do now that he knows it's there. Last week he dicided arbitrarily that Iran isn't a threat. Will a hidden nueclear enrichment facility change his heart or will he snub his nose and call everyone a liar that doesn't agree with him.
Politics • US • World

 
Iran • Barack Obama • Nicolas Sarkozy • Gordon Brown • nuclear facilities

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