Iran May Be Ready for Nuke Deal

Nation may have reached its goal

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 15, 2009 1:17 AM CDT

(Newser) – Iran has likely taken its nuclear program as far as it wants to and the nation may be willing to make a deal with the US and its allies this month, analysts say. The country has developed the capability to create and deliver a nuclear weapon without actually making it, which many believe was its goal all along. "Iran has all the advantages of actual possession of a bomb without any of the unpleasant consequences of the sort North Korea is suffering,” one expert notes.

Iran has now strengthened its hand in dealing with the West, and both sides may now be in a position to declare victory if the right concessions are made, analysts say. "If the Iranian endgame is to keep enrichment, and if the United States’ endgame is to make sure there are no nuclear weapons in Iran, then it can be a win-win,” the chief of the National Iranian American Council tells the New York Times.

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei attends a joint press conference with the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Revolutionary Guards Zelzal short-range missiles are prepared to be test-launched in a drill near the city of Qom, 80 miles south of Tehran, last month. (AP Photo/Fars News Agency, Ali Shaigan)

This satellite image shows a suspected nuclear facility under construction inside a mountain located about 20 miles north northeast of Qom, Iran. (AP Photo/GeoEye Satellite Image, IHS Jane's Analysis)

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They are already where they wanted to be. They are virtually a nuclear state; the issue of national pride
is resolved.
- Abbas Milani, head of Iranian studies at Stanford University

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Iran May Be Ready for Nuke Deal