Was Plame's identity disclosed to foil intelligence on Iran's nukes?

The Raw Story is reporting that, according to confidential sources, Valerie Plame's covert work for the CIA was directly tied to Iran's nuclear proliferation efforts. If true, this could open an interesting can of worms regarding the intent of those who disclosed her identity to the media in 2003.

The line of thinking has been that Plame's identity as a covert CIA operative was disclosed in order to cast doubt on Joseph Wilson's op-ed piece regarding the Bush administration's claims about Iraq's nuclear intentions. Wilson is Plame's husband. After he ventured to Niger in 2002, Wilson reported back to the CIA that claims about Iraq's purchasing yellowcake uranium from Niger were false. In spite of this, the Bush administration continued to claim otherwise.

So, if Plame's work involved Iran's nuclear ambitions - or lack thereof - is it possible that she was outed in order to hinder her intelligence gathering work on Iran? The Bush administration's plans for Iran are directly tied to that country's alleged attempts to revive its dormant nuclear weapons program. Could Plame's work have jeopardized these plans?

With Plame and her intelligence network put out of commission the moment her identity was disclosed, any evidence that could have countered what the Bush administration now wants to sell as fact essentially went up in smoke.

We'll have to keep an eye on this story.