MI6 key to Iranian nuclear deterrence

LONDON, July 13 (UPI) -- British intelligence is working to delay the "awful moment" when leaders need to consider military action to deter Iran's nuclear ambitions, an official said.

The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- along with Germany called on Iran to halt production of uranium enriched to 20 percent, which Iran says it needs for medical research. Western powers, however, say it's a benchmark that would make it easier to reach the 90 percent purity needed for a nuclear weapon.

John Sawers, head of British intelligence service MI6, was quoted by The Daily Telegraph newspaper as saying the Iranians were determined to master the technological aspects of nuclear weapons production.

"It's equally clear that Israel and the United States would face huge dangers if Iran were to become a nuclear weapon state," he said.

Without the work of MI6, he added, Iran would've become a nuclear weapons state in 2008. British intelligence would work in the meantime to "delay that awful moment when the politicians may have to take a decision between accepting a nuclear-armed Iran or launching a military strike against Iran."