The disingenuous debate on Iran

Amidst the ominous discussions on proliferation that surrounded U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to India earlier this month, most people could be forgiven for having missed a simple fact: Iran is not making a nuclear bomb.

The level of unanimity on this question is surprising. Leon Panetta, the U.S. Defence Secretary, testified to the U.S. Congress in February that “the intelligence has been very clear … [it] does not show that they have made a decision to proceed with developing a nuclear weapon.” At the end of April, Israel's serving military chief publicly concurred with this. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has issued a fatwa declaring that “the production … and use of nuclear weapons are … forbidden in Islam” and has reiterated this position in several public statements.

Unusually good forecast for Iran nuclear talks (+video)

UN nuclear chief Yukiya Amano today announced an agreement with Iran to clear up remaining questions about Iran nuclear weapons work ahead of tomorrow's talks in Baghdad.

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Yukiya Amano (c.) from Japan speaks to the media after returning from Iran at the Vienna International Airport near Schwechat, Austria, on Tuesday, May 22. Amano says he has reached a deal with Iran on probing suspected work on nuclear weapons and adds that the agreement will be signed 'quite soon.'

Ronald Zak/AP