Iran could have nuclear bomb by 2010 -Negroponte

LONDON, Jun 2 (Reuters) Iran could have a nuclear bomb by 2010, John Negroponte, the top U.S. intelligence official said today.

Calling Tehran ''the principal state sponsor of terrorism in the world,'' Negroponte, Director of National Intelligence, told BBC radio Iran seemed determined to develop nuclear weapons.

''The estimate we have made is that sometime between the beginning of the next decade and the middle of the next decade they might be in a position to have a nuclear weapon which is a cause of great concern,'' he said.

''They seem to be determined -- that is our assessment -- that they are determined to develop nuclear weapons.'' He acknowledged intelligence mistakes had been made in the past over Iraq and the search for weapons of mass destruction.

''I think we have learned a lot of the lessons from 9/11 as well as from some of the mistakes that were made in the run-up to the Iraq war with respect to weapons of mass destruction,'' he said.

''I think we have improved the integrity of our analyses substantially. In other words, I think we have internalised some of these lessons,'' he added.

The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany agreed in Vienna yesterday to a package of measures to try to persuade Iran to stop nuclear fuel work that could lead to atomic bombs.

Reuters SI DB1221