One wonders how much longer Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons can be qualified with the word “alleged.” Here is an excerpt of a report by David Sanger and William Broad on the latest shenanigans at the International Atomic Energy Agency:

Some of that information was described to member countries of the I.A.E.A. by the agency’s chief inspector during a closed meeting in February 2008. The official, Olli Heinonen, laid out an array of documents, sketches and video that he said were “not consistent with any application other than the development of a nuclear weapon.” News of that presentation quickly leaked, and the details were denounced by Iranian officials as fabrications.

But before and since Mr. Heinonen’s briefing, Iran has refused to allow the agency to talk with Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the scientist believed to lead two secret efforts inside the Iranian government called Project 110 and Project 111. The evidence collected by the agency suggests that each centers on elements of designing and delivering a nuclear weapon, though the United States said in a National Intelligence Estimate published nearly two years ago that it believed those projects were halted, at least temporarily, in late 2003.

A European diplomat familiar with the agency’s internal deliberations said that the United States, Britain, France and Germany were pressing the agency to reveal the strongest information it had gathered.

“There’s multilateral activity under way to ramp up pressure on Iran,” the official said. “It’s not just Israel.”

Apologists for the Iranian regime will probably counter that over the last few months, Iran has apparently not expanded the number of centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear facility. Note, however:

Some diplomats and analysts said the slowed enrichment growth was more likely a technical than political issue. They noted Iranian officials had renewed defiant refusals to curb the programme despite the threat of harsher sanctions.

They also said Iran could swiftly resume expansion since, in addition to just under 5,000 centrifuges refining uranium as reported by U.N. inspectors on May 31, it had already installed many more in preparation for entering the production chain.

Above is another chance to view the short film I made for Z Word’s sponsor, the American Jewish Committee, earlier this year.