US toughens stance on Iran: Another round of talks questionable

White House press secretary there will be more nuclear talks only if initial round yields results. 'World now sees clearly that the obstacle has been Iranian behavior,' he says

Yitzhak Benhorin |Published: 04.11.12 , 23:38

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration reiterated Wednesday that the upcoming nuclear negotiations with Iran must result in a complete halt of uranium enrichment by the Islamic Republic.

"If there is progress in these discussions, there will be another round. But we approach this eyes wide open, focused on actions, not on words," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.

Carney told reporters that "the world now sees clearly that the obstacle has been Iranian behavior, behavior by the regime in Tehran.

"That is why (…) there is such international consensus about the absolute need for the Iranians to abide by their obligations, to forsake their nuclear weapons ambitions, to demonstrate verifiably that they can reassure the world that they do not seek to acquire nuclear weapons," he said.

"Our bottom line, our position is that Iran must live up to its international obligations, including the full suspension of uranium enrichment, as required by multiple UN Security Council resolutions."

The first round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the so-called P5+1 powers - permanent UN Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany – are scheduled to begin in Istanbul on Saturday. According to reports, a second round is expected to be held in Baghdad.

Earlier this week it was reported that US President Barack Obama has signaled Tehran that the Washington would accept an civilian nuclear program in Iran if Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei can back up his recent claim that his nation “will never pursue nuclear weapons.”

However, it appears that the White House has toughened its stance on the issue.

"The window is closing here," Carney added. "The Iranians need to demonstrate that they are serious, that they will engage in these talks seriously and focus on the issues that need to be resolved. Beyond that, we'll have to see how they go."

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also addressed the nuclear crisis Wednesday, saying, “We believe there is still time for diplomacy, but it is urgent that the Iranians come to the table to establish an environment conducive to achieving concrete results through a sustained process.”

Earlier, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, said the country's representatives will participate in the negotiations with new initiatives.

"We hope that the P5+1 countries will also enter talks with constructive approaches," Iran's chief nuclear negotiator said, adding that Tehran was "ready to hold progressive and successful talks on cooperation" but that "the language of threat and pressure against the Iranian nation has never yielded results."

On Monday, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani, raised the possibility of Iran suspending enrichment to the 20% level of fissile purity if its needs were met.

The proposal did not address Western concerns about what would happen to Iran's existing stockpile of higher-grade enrichment uranium.

Uranium needs to be refined only to the 5% level for use in running power plants. A 90% threshold is required for atomic bomb material. Iran says it needs a 20% stockpile to fuel a medical isotope reactor. Western powers fear Iran's underlying goal is to advanced towards bomb-grade purity.