The United States is building a new generation of spy satellites designed to orbit undetected, in a highly classified program that has provoked opposition in closed congressional sessions where lawmakers have questioned its necessity and rapidly escalating price, according to U.S. officials.
Iranian efforts, with Russian technical assistance, to develop a nuclear reactor at Buseher have ignited a debate in Washington and Tel Aviv over whether the plant should be allowed to come on line as scheduled in the next two or three years. As the plant moves closer to completion, it could become a test case of the Bush administration's new doctrine of launching pre-emptive strikes on threats to U.S. national security.