WASHINGTON — The United States has delayed a test that could determine the feasibility of an air
strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, with the announcement of plans to negotiate with
Teheran.
The Defense Department canceled a test meant to examine the use of
huge amounts of explosives to destroy underground bunkers of the type that
conceal Iran's nuclear weapons program. The U.S. Air Force test was to have
taken place on June 2 in the Nevada desert.
Two days before the exercise, termed "Divine Strake," the Pentagon
said the blast impact demonstration would not take place, Middle East Newsline reported. No new date was
set.
The statement said the National Nuclear Security Administration "decided
to postpone the experiment due to the scheduling of legal proceedings" to
block Divine Strake. NNSA operates the test site in Nevada.
The military intended to detonate 700 tons of ammonium nitrate-fuel oil
above a tunnel to determine U.S. capability to destroy underground bunkers.
The air force planned to use the results of the tests in efforts to draft
air strike methods and enhance bunker-busting weapons.
"The experiment, originally scheduled for June 2, 2006, will not be
conducted earlier than June 23, 2006," the Pentagon's Defense Threat
Reduction Agency said in a statement.
The Pentagon agency said the experiment was intended to "improve and
validate computer model planning tools used to defeat hardened and deeply
buried targets." The statement said Divine Strake was designed to validate
computer codes formulated to predict damage to the Nevada tunnel by a major
blast.
The Pentagon has been discussing air strike scenarios as part of plans
to block Iran from developing nuclear warheads. But over the last few weeks,
the Bush administration agreed to offer Iran incentives to halt uranium
enrichment.
"This experiment is not being conducted to support any specific,
existing or planned conventional or nuclear weapon," the agency said on
Wednesday. "Nor does it represent a specific target."
The Pentagon announced the test delay as the Bush administration offered
to participate in European Union talks to persuade Iran to terminate its
uranium enrichment program. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stressed
that the decision by President George Bush — which depends on the
suspension of the Iranian program — did not eliminate any military option.
"The president is not going to take any of his options off the table,
temporarily or otherwise," Ms. Rice told a news conference on Wednesday. "We
have options that are very near-term options should they [Iran] not make the
right choice."
