The U.S. remains committed to working with other nations to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an interview with NBC news:
"We believe as a matter of policy it is unacceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons. . . .What we want to do is to send a message to whoever is making these decisions [in Iran] that if you're pursuing nuclear weapons for the purpose of intimidating, of projecting your power, we're not going to let that happen."
Secretary of State Clinton said the U.S., in concert with other nations, is using diplomatic tools to try to "affect the internal calculus of the Iranian regime":
"That's why we're engaged in the President's policy of engagement toward Iran – [so] that Iran will understand why it is in their interest to go along with the consensus of the international community, which very clearly says you have rights and responsibilities. You have a right to pursue the peaceful use of civil nuclear power; you do not have a right to obtain a nuclear weapon; you do not have the right to have the full enrichment and reprocessing cycle under your control. But there's a lot that we can do with Iran if Iran accepts what is the international consensus."
Secretary of State Clinton said she has "been moved by the just cries for freedom" that have emanated from Iran since the disputed presidential election in June. The Iranian people deserve better, she said; but the diplomatic path can still yield positive results:
"You can go back in history and not very long back, where we have negotiated with many governments who we did not believe represented the will of their people. Look at all the negotiations that went on with the Soviet Union. Look at the breakthrough and subsequent negotiations with communist China. That's what you do in diplomacy. You don't get to choose the people. That's up to the internal dynamics within a society."
The U.S. hopes that in Iran, said Secretary of State Clinton, "There is more openness, that peaceful demonstrations are respected, that press freedom is respected. Yet we know that whoever is in charge in Iran is going to be making decisions that will affect the security of the region and the world."
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