U.S. RAISES PROSPECT OF IRANIAN NUKE SOON

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The United States has raised the prospect that Irancould quickly assemble its first nuclear weapon. For the first time, the Bush administration has raised the prospect thatIran could develop a nuclear weapon over the next 18 months. Officials havediscussed scenarios of an Iranian nuclear weapon as early as 2008, dependingon how rapidly Iran begins industrial-scale uranium enrichment.