Iran Report Shakes Washington, DC

This week's new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran says the country suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003. The report has shaken official Washington and had ripple effects out on the campaign trail.

Official U.S. foreign policy on Iran has been based on a 2005 estimate which said Iran was "determined" to develop nuclear weapons and progressing in that direction. President Bush often rang alarm bells about Iran's threat to global security and even invoked the term "World War Three" to describe the danger posed by Iran.

So when did the president first hear about Iran's 2003 suspension of the nuclear weapons program? And how does that line up against his public statements? National Public Radio offers this timeline.

Some change in American policy and posture toward Iran seems certain given the new report. The U.S. State Department's blog is currently asking readers, "In light of new information indicating that it's unlikely Iran would be able to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for another 3 to 8 years, should the U.S. change its policy toward Iran?"

Experts across the political spectrum, from Robert Kagan to Gareth Evans, are saying the United States now has no excuse for avoiding negotiations with Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the report a "victory" for Iran. David Broder notes this is one of several challenging developments around the world for the United States.

A number of Democratic presidential candidates used the report to criticize President Bush and raise again questions about Senator Hillary Clinton's vote three months ago supporting President Bush's claim that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is a terrorist organization.

And on the Republican side of the race, surging candidate Mike Huckabee faced embarrassing headlines when it became apparent that he knew nothing about the new intelligence report on Iran more than 24 hours after it became front page news.