Iran is determined to develop nuclear weapons and could produce one by early to mid next decade, the head of US intelligence said Tuesday, calling it a "very dangerous situation."
But retired admiral Michael McConnell, the new director of national intelligence, said Iran was a concern to the United States beyond its nuclear aspirations.
Rising oil income and perceived successes of its surrogates Hamas and Hezbollah has extended Iran's influence in the Middle East, disturbing Arab states, and its military poses a challenge in the Gulf, he said.
"We assess that Iran seeks to develop nuclear weapons and has shown greater interest in drawing out the negotiations rather than reaching an acceptable diplomatic solution," he said.
"This is a very dangerous situation as a nuclear Iran could prompt destabilizing countermoves by other states in this volatile region," he said.
"While our information is incomplete, we estimate that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon by early to mid next decade," he said.
McConnell meanwhile characterized security in Iraq as "moving in a negative direction" and said that the term "civil war" aptly describes elements of the conflict there.
"Unless efforts to reverse these conditions gain real traction during the 12-18 month time frame ... we assess that the security situation will continue to deteriorate at rates comparable to the latter half of 2006," McConnell told lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
McConnell said "the term 'civil war' accurately describes key elements of the Iraqi conflict" including the hardening of sectarian divisions and population "displacements."
McConnell also criticized what he called a hardening in Russian policy that had led to "rivalry and antagonism" in Moscow's relations with the United States, warning that the Kremlin was becoming more anti-democratic and headstrong as it moves towards presidential elections next year.
"Russian assertiveness will continue to inject elements of rivalry and antagonism into US dealings with Moscow, particularly our interactions in the former Soviet Union," McConnell said.
Additionally, McConnell asserted that Venezuela's weapons purchases could spark an arms race in the region.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's moves to buy modern military equipment from Russia and to develop domestic weapons production "are increasingly worrisome to his neighbors," McConnell said.
"These weapons purchases could fuel an arms race in the region," he said, while also accused the Venezuelan leader of trying to "politicize" the country's armed forces at a time when other states in the region were seeking "more professional and apolitical militaries."
