Overview
- Verbatim records from 2001 to 2008 published by the National Security Archive detail candid talks where both presidents flagged Pakistan as a major proliferation danger.
- One 2005 exchange notes uranium of Pakistani origin found in Iranian centrifuges, which Bush said Iran failed to disclose to the IAEA.
- Bush told Putin he pressed Pervez Musharraf on suspected transfers to Iran and North Korea, questioned Islamabad’s candor, and cited A. Q. Khan’s house arrest.
- The documents capture rare policy convergence on curbing Iran’s program, with Bush calling military action a last resort that still had to remain on the table.
- The release has prompted fresh focus in India, where officials reiterated long-standing concerns about Pakistan’s record and analysts framed the files as external validation of those worries.