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Cheney: Iran Will Not Be Allowed to Have a Nuclear Weapon
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration said Tuesday that any enrichment of nuclear fuel on Iranian territory was unacceptable, while Vice President Dick Cheney said the United States won't tolerate Tehran possessing a nuclear weapon.
"The Iranian regime needs to know that if it stays on its present course, the international community is prepared to impose meaningful consequences," Cheney said in a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. "We join other nations in sending that regime a clear message: we will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon."
Cheney also echoed remarks made to the same conference over the weekend by John Bolton, America's ambassador to the United Nations, when he said Iran's insistence on enriching uranium will lead to "tangible and painful consequences."
White House officials say they fully expect the matter to be taken up by the U.N. Security Council this week. The Bush administration spearheaded the effort to get the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer the Iranian nuclear issue to the Security Council, which it did.
"We will see what is necessary to do in the Security Council," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. She said there was still time for Iran to change its ways.
Russia appears to be closing ranks with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program. Moscow had offered to allow Iran to enrich uranium on Russian soil for energy needs in order to take some heat off the Islamic Republic from the international community so it can avoid sanctions.
But some media reports had suggested Lavrov's mediation efforts on the nuclear issue have driven a wedge between Washington and Moscow since he reportedly was considering allowing Iran to enrich a small amount of uranium domestically. At a joint State Department news conference, Lavrov and Rice said there was no such compromise in sight with Iran.
"The Russians did not tell us of any new proposal that they have made to the Iranians," Rice said during the press conference. "We still hope that this can be resolved in a, through negotiations, through the IAEA. But it's going to require the Iranians to suspend their activities."
"There is no compromise, new Russian proposal," Lavrov said, insisting that his government's negotiations with Iran are bound by a Feb. 4 initiative, endorsed by the IAEA, that would provide for uranium enrichment to be conducted only in Russia for Iran's fuel needs. "(W)e repeatedly stated that it's only in this context that this joint venture initiative is available," he emphasized.
But Iran's envoy to the IAEA said Tuesday that his country was not prepared to freeze small-scale enrichment, a key demand of not only Moscow and Washington, but of the European Union and many other nations, as well.
"We've spent a lot on this," said the envoy, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, outside a 35-nation IAEA board meeting that is preparing to focus on Iran.
That IAEA meeting in Vienna ended Tuesday with no discussion of Iran, however; the issue is expected to be brought up during Wednesday morning's meeting.
From the State Department, Rice and Lavrov were headed to the White House for a meeting with President Bush. Earlier in the day, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the U.S. expects the U.N. Security Council to move forward to rebuke Tehran for its disputed nuclear program.
"The international community has spelled out what Iran must do — that means suspend all enrichment activity," McClellan said.
McClellan's comments came as a diplomat at the IAEA meeting told The Associated Press that Iran is offering to suspend full-scale uranium enrichment for up to two years. The offer reflected Tehran's attempts to escape Security Council action over the activity, which can be used to make nuclear arms.
The diplomat said Tehran's offer was made Friday by chief Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani in Moscow in the context of contacts between Iran and Russia on moving Tehran's enrichment program to Russia.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration said Tuesday that any enrichment of nuclear fuel on Iranian territory was unacceptable, while Vice President Dick Cheney said the United States won't tolerate Tehran possessing a nuclear weapon.
"The Iranian regime needs to know that if it stays on its present course, the international community is prepared to impose meaningful consequences," Cheney said in a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. "We join other nations in sending that regime a clear message: we will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon."
Cheney also echoed remarks made to the same conference over the weekend by John Bolton, America's ambassador to the United Nations, when he said Iran's insistence on enriching uranium will lead to "tangible and painful consequences."
White House officials say they fully expect the matter to be taken up by the U.N. Security Council this week. The Bush administration spearheaded the effort to get the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer the Iranian nuclear issue to the Security Council, which it did.
"We will see what is necessary to do in the Security Council," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. She said there was still time for Iran to change its ways.
Russia appears to be closing ranks with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program. Moscow had offered to allow Iran to enrich uranium on Russian soil for energy needs in order to take some heat off the Islamic Republic from the international community so it can avoid sanctions.
But some media reports had suggested Lavrov's mediation efforts on the nuclear issue have driven a wedge between Washington and Moscow since he reportedly was considering allowing Iran to enrich a small amount of uranium domestically. At a joint State Department news conference, Lavrov and Rice said there was no such compromise in sight with Iran.
"The Russians did not tell us of any new proposal that they have made to the Iranians," Rice said during the press conference. "We still hope that this can be resolved in a, through negotiations, through the IAEA. But it's going to require the Iranians to suspend their activities."
"There is no compromise, new Russian proposal," Lavrov said, insisting that his government's negotiations with Iran are bound by a Feb. 4 initiative, endorsed by the IAEA, that would provide for uranium enrichment to be conducted only in Russia for Iran's fuel needs. "(W)e repeatedly stated that it's only in this context that this joint venture initiative is available," he emphasized.
But Iran's envoy to the IAEA said Tuesday that his country was not prepared to freeze small-scale enrichment, a key demand of not only Moscow and Washington, but of the European Union and many other nations, as well.
"We've spent a lot on this," said the envoy, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, outside a 35-nation IAEA board meeting that is preparing to focus on Iran.
That IAEA meeting in Vienna ended Tuesday with no discussion of Iran, however; the issue is expected to be brought up during Wednesday morning's meeting.
From the State Department, Rice and Lavrov were headed to the White House for a meeting with President Bush. Earlier in the day, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the U.S. expects the U.N. Security Council to move forward to rebuke Tehran for its disputed nuclear program.
"The international community has spelled out what Iran must do — that means suspend all enrichment activity," McClellan said.
McClellan's comments came as a diplomat at the IAEA meeting told The Associated Press that Iran is offering to suspend full-scale uranium enrichment for up to two years. The offer reflected Tehran's attempts to escape Security Council action over the activity, which can be used to make nuclear arms.
The diplomat said Tehran's offer was made Friday by chief Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani in Moscow in the context of contacts between Iran and Russia on moving Tehran's enrichment program to Russia.
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