Clinton: Sanctions Have 'Slowed Down' Iran

Sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program are "working," Hillary Clinton said today, marking the first such assertion by an Obama administration official, the Wall Street Journal notes. The sanctions “have made it much more difficult for Iran to pursue its nuclear ambitions,” the secretary of state said on a United Arab Emirates talk show. The country has faced technical issues with its nuclear fuel-producing centrifuge machines, and "their program, from our best estimate, has been slowed down," Clinton noted. "So we have time. But not a lot of time."

US officials have lately said privately that Iran was struggling to obtain raw materials like carbon-fiber and maraging steel for its nuclear program, but officials haven’t spoken out for fear of weakening international pressure on Iran. Clinton said the international community can’t afford to ease the sanctions. Click for one estimate on when Iran will have its own nuclear weapon.
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