President Bush has been accused of directly lying to the Iranian people about Iran’s nuclear ambitions. In an interview on Thursday, Bush said, “They’ve declared they want to have a nuclear weapon to destroy people — some in the Middle East.” The interview aired on the US government-funded Radio Farda, which broadcasts into Iran in Farsi. Bush’s comment directly contradicts the judgments of the National Intelligence Estimate. Several foreign policy analysts accused Bush of distorting the truth. Joseph Cirincione, of the Ploughshares Fund said, “Iran has never said it wanted a nuclear weapon for any reason. It’s just not true.” Former State Department official Suzanne Maloney said, “The Iranian government is on the record across the board as saying it does not want a nuclear weapon.” Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department has called on international financial institutions to steer clear of doing business with almost all Iranian banks. The Financial Times describes the move as the Bush administration’s most wide-ranging attempt yet to isolate Tehran financially.