Report says Powell's Iran information based on single source

Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's announcement earlier this week that Iran could be developing nuclear-capable missiles was based on an "unvetted, single source," The Washington Post said Friday. The intelligence, which two U.S. officials said had not been verified, could be significant if true but an embarrassment if not, reminiscent of Powell's February 2003 UN speech about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, which was based on dubious intelligence and which so far has proved untrue. The officials told the daily the intelligence was stamped "No Foreign," meaning it was not to be shared even with U.S. allies, although they said U.S. President George W. Bush shared portions of it with British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, last week. Powell, in Santiago for an APEC summit this weekend, said Wednesday that he had "seen some information that would suggest" that Iran was seeking to adapt its missiles to carry nuclear warheads - they have "been actively working on delivery systems," he said. The information in Powell's comment was drawn from a "walk-in" source, who provided U.S. intelligence with 1,000 pages of alleged Iranian drawings and technical documents, including modifications to ballistic missiles to carry nuclear weapons, one official with access to the material told the daily. [more]