Yesterday’s New York Times described the International Atomic Energy Agency as taking a “more cautious approach” than the U.S. with respect to conclusions about Iran’s capacity for developing nuclear weapons. The Timesreported,

“To be frank, we are more skeptical,” a senior official close to the agency said. “We don’t buy the American analysis 100 percent. We are not that generous with Iran.”The official called the American assertion that Iran had “halted” its weapons program in 2003 “somewhat surprising.”

In a Washington Post column, former U.S. ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, criticized the report as being driven more by “policy formulation” rather than objective analysis of “intelligence.” Bolton wrote,

When the iaea is tougher than our analysts, you can bet the farm that someone is pursuing a policy agenda.