Spies 'stopped Iran nuke plans'
Iran would have obtained nuclear weapons in 2008 without the actions of MI6, the head of the secret intelligence service has claimed.
Speaking at a Civil Service World event, MI6 chief Sir John Sawers said covert operations by British spies had prevented Iran from developing nuclear weapons - but warned Tehran would succeed by 2014.
Without MI6’s work dealing with the threat, “you’d have Iran as a nuclear weapons state in 2008 rather than still being two years away in 2012," Sir John said.
He claimed it was up to his agents to “delay that awful moment when the politicians may have to take a decision between accepting a nuclear-armed Iran or launching a military strike against Iran.”