Ask HN: Can the NSA crack iPhone encryption?

I was trying to look this up and found no solid sources.

John Mccafee's solutions was BS from the beginning because it's assumed the password was stored in clear text. The FBI wants a cracker engineered by Apple, but is there another way?

Isn't it possible the NSA could de-cap and clone the storage of an iPhone, then run a password cracker own the clones. This seems like exactly what they would do. I can't think of any technological reason they couldn't do this. Is there some limitation because the password is only part of the encryption key and the key is stored on a separate chip?

Is it possible to brute-force the 265bit encryption on the phone?

It is possible even the NSA's hands are tied?

I haven't heard anything about the NSA's capability regarding the FBI vs Apple case. I understand the FBI wants to have a media blitz about this, playing up emotions, while avoiding facts like the NSA, but I'm interested in the technical limitations.