http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-irannuke19nov19.storyTHE WORLD
Powell's Talk of Arms Has Fallout
His remark that Iran is working to join missiles and warheads may have been based on classified data. Allies, lawmakers want full disclosure.
By Sonni Efron, Tyler Marshall and Bob Drogin, Times Staff Writers
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Colin L. Powell's statement that Iran is actively studying how to outfit a missile with a nuclear bomb caused surprise and confusion in Washington on Thursday, and members of Congress demanded that he provide more details.
Powell's remarks Wednesday — apparently unscripted and based on classified information — appeared to catch the Bush administration and its European allies off-guard. The CIA refused to comment, and the White House and State Department declined to offer details. Some sources raised questions about the credibility of the intelligence.
In Santiago, Chile, where Powell is attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, he downplayed the furor in a Chilean television interview Thursday, saying Iran's ambitions were well known.
"They shouldn't be brand-new … issues," Powell said. "They shouldn't surprise anybody. I think the Iranians still have much more to do to convince the international community that they are not moving into the direction of a nuclear weapon."
One source, however, described the intelligence mentioned by Powell as "weak."<snip>