The other foot on Iran

The US, Britain, and France are set to reveal today that Iran has been secretly constructing another enrichment plant.

I'm assuming this will be huge news for days, so I'll leave all the technicals to others and just mention the timing of the release bracketed between the UN and the G20, allowing quiet talks and arrangements with Russia and China at the UN meeting before the announcement, and ample time for statements and unified "heads of state" photos at the G20 after the announcement.

Mr. Obama was first briefed on Iran’s project before he became president, as part of the detailed intelligence reports provided by the then-director of national intelligence, Mike McConnell. Mr. Obama has received updated intelligence on it “several times,” one senior aide said Thursday evening.

In advance of Friday morning’s announcement, Mr. Obama sent top intelligence officials to brief the I.A.E.A.’s chief inspector, Olli Heinonen. Other American diplomats and intelligence officials shared their findings with China, Russia and Germany, all important players in the negotiations with Iran.

Earlier this week, Mr. Obama’s discussions with President Hu Jintao of China on Tuesday and his meeting with President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia on Wednesday focused largely on Iran, administration officials said. During his meeting with Mr. Medvedev in particular, Mr. Obama pressed his case, expressing pessimism that talks scheduled for next week with the Iranians over the nuclear issue would yield much progress, administration officials said.

So, the Obama folks have known about this for eight months and held it to release now?

(How closely held was this intel that none of those Iran hawks have leaked it before now?)

And, it is interesting that this is released after the "heads of state" meeting of the Security Council.