Iran's nuclear program gaining ground: U.S. review

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran is keeping open the option of developing nuclear weapons but it remains unclear whether Tehran has the "political will" to do so, the U.S. director of national intelligence said on Tuesday.

In written testimony to Congress, intelligence chief Dennis Blair said Iranian advancements in enriching uranium and other areas backed up judgments in a 2007 U.S. National Intelligence Estimate, or NIE, that Iran is "technically capable" of producing enough highly enriched uranium for a weapon in the "next few years, if it chooses to do so."

"Iran's technical advancement, particularly in uranium enrichment, strengthens our 2007 NIE assessment that Iran has the scientific, technical and industrial capacity to eventually produce nuclear weapons, making the central issue its political will to do so," Blair said.

"We continue to assess Iran is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons in part by developing various nuclear capabilities that bring it closer to being able to produce such weapons, should it choose to do so. We do not know, however, if Iran will eventually decide to build nuclear weapons."

Iran already has the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East and it continues to expand the scale, reach and sophistication of its ballistic missile forces, "many of which are inherently capable of carrying a nuclear payload," Blair said.

The intelligence chief cited information published by the International Atomic Energy Agency showing that the number of centrifuges installed at Iran's enrichment plant at Natanz has grown from about 3,000 centrifuges in late 2007 to over 8,000.

But Blair said Iran appeared to be "experiencing some problems" at Natanz and is only operating about half of the installed centrifuges, constraining its overall ability to produce larger quantities of low-enriched uranium.

Blair said the United States was concerned about the "real risk" that Iran's nuclear program will prompt other countries in the region to "pursue nuclear options" of their own.

To counter the Iranian threat and reassure anxious Gulf allies, the United States has expanded land- and sea-based missile defense systems in and around the Gulf, according to U.S. officials said.

The deployments include expanded land-based Patriot defensive missile installations in Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain, as well as Navy ships with missile defense systems in and around the Mediterranean, the officials said.

(Reporting by Adam Entous; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Bill Trott)