WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The United States has concluded that Iran has increased
efforts to obtain technological assistance from China and North Korea for
Teheran's missile and weapons of mass destruction programs.U.S. officials said the threat of imminent war with Iraq has spurred
Teheran to conclude its missile and WMD projects to deter future threats
from Washington. The officials said Iran is focusing on completing
facilities that could produce weapons-grade plutonium."The Iranians are very active in seeking assistance from North Korea and
China," Undersecretary of State John Bolton said. "Although the current
focus is on Iraq, and to a lesser extent on North Korea, Iran remains a very
serious problem, one that we're committed to addressing, and that we are
trying to address by preventing the Iranian government from acquiring these
capabilities in nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and long-range
missiles."Bolton said in an interview to the CNBC network that Iran plays a
leading role in the Bush administration's agenda. The undersecretary said he
has spent many hours with Russian officials in an attempt to stop Moscow's
aid to Teheran's missile and WMD programs.
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