Excerpt: 'The Middle East Should Become a WMD-Free Zone'
Hans Blix was in charge of looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq prior to the invasion. SPIEGEL ONLINE spoke to him about Iran's nuclear program, America's conclusion that Tehran may not be pursuing the bomb, and a WMD-free Middle East.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: It seems rather ironic that US intelligence agencies were the ones to determine that Tehran abandoned its nuclear weapons program in 2003. Is the US now, since the blunders leading up to the Iraq war, taking a closer look before accusing countries of possessing weapons of mass destruction?
Blix: Yes, there is a new sense of caution. But the initiative comes from US intelligence agencies, not the administration. They were heavily criticized after the Iraq war, and this time they don't want to offer up the wrong reasons for taking action.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: An Iranian opposition group known as the National Council of Resistance claims that Iran has resumed its military program. How seriously should this be taken?
Blix: It was undoubtedly resistance groups in Iran that exposed the nuclear program in Natanz to the world for the first time. But claims by highly committed political opposition groups must always be approached with great caution.
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