Former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix says the NIE report on Tehran's nuclear program may preclude a US military strike against Iran.
In an interview with Der Spiegel, Blix said Washington is apparently attempting to take a closer look before accusing other countries of possessing weapons of mass destruction, due to the past blunders which led to the Iraq war.
"There are many indications that the White House was in fact planning an attack," said Blix.
"The United States traditionally justifies its attacks with its doctrine of pre-emptive self-defense. But now that the official word is out that Iran neither has nor is developing weapons of mass destruction, this is no longer an option," he added.
The 79-year-old Swedish diplomat also rejected the claims that Iran's massive petroleum reserves obviate the country's need for nuclear energy.
"Mexico has oil and a nuclear program. The French seem to have no qualms about selling nuclear power plants to Libya, an oil-producing nation," he added.
The Dec. 3 National Intelligence Estimate admitted that Iran is not running a covert nuclear weapons program. This is while the Islamic Republic has maintained that the program is solely aimed at civilian purposes.
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