WEEKLY ROUNDUP Stuxnet — A US Invention to Thwart Iranian Enrichment

摘要

In a massive exposé Jun. 1, New York Times journalist David Sanger reveals that the Stuxnet virus that became public in the summer of 2010 was devel- oped by the Bush administration, beginning in 2006, under a program called “Olympic Games” that was expanded under Obama. The Stuxnet virus was specifically developed to target the Iranian centrifuge program; its deployment is the first known instance of a state employing cyber warfare against another state. The Obama administration believes that it set back the enrichment effort by 18-24 months, although other experts dispute that. The article, 18 months in the making, comes at a delicate juncture as Iran and the P5+1 prepare for a third round of talks in Moscow next month — and more sanctions against Iran are set to take effect Jul. 1.