A former head of counterterrorism at the White House says Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s nuclear energy facilities are immune to any cyber attack, also warning against any military strike against the country as \u00c5\u201capocalyptic.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
In an interview with the Times of Israel, Richard Clarke – the top counterterrorism advisor to Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush – ruled out the efficacy of a cyber means to stop Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s nuclear activities, especially after the failure of the US- and Israeli-developed Stuxnet computer virus against Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s nuclear energy program.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cWell, I think we\u00e2\u201e\u00a2ve kind of tried that. And by trying Stuxnet when we did and being discovered, I think it\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s going to be very difficult to do something like that again. The Iranians are now much more careful, much more observant,\u201d said Clarke.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
On June 1, 2012, The New York Times<\/i> revealed that Stuxnet was part of a wave of sophisticated digital attacks codenamed \u00c5\u201cOlympic Games,\u201d which US President Barack Obama had ordered against the computer systems that run Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s main nuclear enrichment facilities. <\/p>\n
The paper also confirmed that the Stuxnet virus was created with the help of a secret Israeli intelligence unit.\n<\/p>\n
Iranian experts, however, detected the worm in time, averting any damage to the country’s industrial sites and resources.\n<\/p>\n
Clarke also warned against the \u00c5\u201capocalyptic\u201d consequences of a military intervention in Iran, saying that any such measure would involve not only Israel but also the United States.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cI think the Iranian government won\u00e2\u201e\u00a2t take it lying down,\u201d Clarke said, adding, \u00c5\u201cAnd that could be very, very messy. It could have worldwide economic effects. And I don\u00e2\u201e\u00a2t know how it ends.\u201d
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Washington and Tel Aviv have repeatedly threatened Tehran with a military strike to force it to halt its nuclear energy program, accusing Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear activities.\n<\/p>\nTehran, however, refutes such allegations as \u00c5\u201cbaseless\u201d and maintains that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency it has every right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.\n<\/p>\n
Iranian officials have also promised a crushing response to any military strike against the country, warning that any such measure could result in a war that would spread beyond the Middle East.\n<\/p>\n
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