The Obama administration is using evidence on Iran’s continued troubles with its nuclear program to dissuade Israel from launching a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the New York Times suggests. Iran would need at least a year to completely convert nuclear material into a weapon, according to a U.S. official. The assessment, according to the Washington Post, is based on intelligence gathered last year and from reports of international inspectors.
In other news, the U.S. Department of State has launched a competition aimed at promoting public-private partnerships between the U.S. and the North African countries of Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The competition, which will be managed by the Department of States Middle East Partnership Initiative, is expected to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship, job creation and economic opportunity in the four countries.
