David E. Sanger The New York Times WASHINGTON — The Obama administration insists that “there is time and space” for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis, despite new evidence, to be released next week by international nuclear inspectors, that Iran is bolstering its ability to produce a type of uranium that can be converted relatively quickly to bomb fuel. In a statement that was notable chiefly for the fact that it was issued before the International Atomic Energy Agency's report is scheduled to be made public, a White House spokesman, Tommy Vietor, said Iran “is continuing to violate its international obligations” despite the imposition of sanctions that severely restrict the country's oil revenue. The energy agency's inspectors found that Iran had installed hundreds of new centrifuges in the deep underground site called Fordo in recent months, but Vietor said that did not change the White House assessment that diplomatic solutions to the Iranian nuclear issue were still viable. The White House statement Friday appeared intended to pre-empt statements from Israeli officials, who are citing the forthcoming inspectors' report to bolster their argument that the negotiations with Iran have simply allowed Tehran to speed ahead with its construction program, and that sanctions have been ineffective. The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported Friday that during a meeting with Representative Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican who heads the intelligence committee, Netanyahu said, “Just yesterday, we received additional proof of the fact that Iran is continuing to make accelerated progress toward achieving nuclear weapons while totally ignoring international demands.” He appeared to be referring to news accounts about the inspectors' report. Iran's top negotiator was in Vienna at the International Atomic Energy Agency's headquarters in an effort to work out an agreement for Iran to allow inspectors to visit a site, called Parchin, where inspectors believe weapons work may have been conducted. But the effort failed, along with parallel efforts to get Iran to answer a series of questions about suspected weapons-related experiments that the country has refused to discuss for several years. An administration official, who declined to speak for attribution about intelligence matters, confirmed that in the American assessment, “the numbers of centrifuges being installed and operating” at the Fordo plant, which he characterized as “a few hundred,” would “add to Iran's ability to produce more 20 percent low-enriched uranium.” That purity can be converted relatively rapidly to bomb-grade fuel, a process called “breakout.” But, the official added, “Any breakout would not be a quiet affair: the IAEA is in the facility regularly and they would detect a move” to build a weapon. He concluded that while the work at Fordo was a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, “it is also not a game-changer.” Iran insists that the 20 percent enrichment is for a reactor that produces medical isotopes. But it has already produced far more of the 20 percent uranium than is needed to fuel that reactor for many years. The contrasting responses to a report that is still being written reflect the very different strategies being pursued in the United States and Israel. President Obama is trying to keep the pressure on Iran without letting the confrontation tip into crisis before the presidential election. As a result, the White House emphasizes the steps it is taking to pressure the Iranian leadership — which range from diplomatic isolation to sanctions to sabotage — and avoids discussion of why, despite those steps, Iran's nuclear program continues on course. Netanyahu has a different calculus. He and his defense minister, Ehud Barak, have said that time is running out. They have broadly hinted that a decision on whether Israel will strike at Iran's nuclear facilities may come soon, in a matter of weeks. The betting in Washington, however, is that those threats are largely an effort to extract commitments from Obama to act against Iran in the future, perhaps in 2013. An attack joined by the United States, Israeli officials have said, would be far more effective than one Israel conducts alone. But so far, there has been no such assurance from the White House.
