Democrats Seek Iran Intelligence Estimate

Senate Democrats, saying they want to “avoid repeating mistakes made in the run-up to the conflict in Iraq,” sent President Bush a letter Friday urging him to direct agencies to prepare an updated National Intelligence Estimate on Iran.

“We must have objective intelligence untainted by political considerations or policy preferences and a comprehensive debate in the Congress about the best short- and long-term approaches to resolving the international community’s differences with Iran,” the letter says.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, has accused Iran of failing to answer questions about its nuclear program. In late March, it reported Tehran to the U.N. Security Council.

The Democrats, although wary of a repeat of the administration’s incorrect warnings about Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction, stressed in their letter that they were seriously concerned about Iran’s intentions.

“An Iranian nuclear weapons program would be a significant threat to international peace and security,” they wrote. “Iran’s refusal to conclusively explain or halt its uranium enrichment and other nuclear activities and its acquisition of ballistic missiles, coupled with the troubling rhetoric of its president, presents serious challenges to security.... The international community must not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.”

Iran has said it seeks to develop nuclear energy, not arms.