Testifying before the Senate armed services committee here yesterday, Tenet warned that these arsenals of mass destruction could ``spill into the hands of America's fiercest enemies, including Osama bin Laden'' (mastermind behind the bombings of US embassies last August).

He claimed that China was also exporting materials used to produce chemical weapons and added that Russia, North Korea and China continue to trade hard cash for expertise and materials used in producing missiles and weapons of mass destruction.

``Both the Chinese government and Chinese firms have longstanding and deep relations with proliferant countries, and we are not convinced that China's companies fully share the commitments undertaken by senior Chinese leaders,'' hedeplored.

Stating that Russia had increased its help to Iran for producing longer-range missiles that could carry weapons of mass destruction, he questioned Moscow's secure hold on its own nuclear arsenals.

Tenet said that with continued foreign aid, Iran could drastically cut the time it takes to deploy an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the US.

``Theatre range missiles with increasing range,'' he said, ``pose an immediate and growing threat to US interests, military forces and allies, and the threat is increasing. This threat is here and now.''

Casting doubt about Russia's ability to safeguard its nuclear weapons material, he said, ``What we have noticed are reports of strikes, lax discipline and poor morale and criminal activity at nuclear facilities. These are alarm bells that warrant our closest attention and concern. Making matters worse, societal and economic stress in Russia seems likely to grow, raising more concerns about the security of nuclear weapons and fissilematerial.''

He said he was deeply concerned that North Korea was, as suspected, building a facility at Kumchagni large enough to produce plutonium. ``This would circumvent a US-North Korean agreement to limit plutonium production to a plant in Yongbyon.''