A. Q. Khan is ‘‘at least as dangerous as Osama bin Laden,’’ former CIA director George J Tenet was on Wednesday quoted by The New York Times as saying in a speech, even as the US spy agency asserted that he may have transferred ‘‘advanced’’ weapon component designs to Iran. Tenet also said the probe into the network stretched across three continents, back to 1997, and that he had kept it secret in the government from everyone except Bill Clinton and George W Bush. A CIA report said the proliferation network led by Khan provided Iran’s nuclear programme with ‘‘significant assistance,’’ including the designs for ‘‘advanced and efficient’’ weapons components. American officials suspect the Khan network provided Iran with a warhead design as well, the Times said. —PTI
