In an interview with journalists earlier this month, President Barack Obama reaffirmed the U.S. Government's commitment to diplomatic engagement with Iran and the importance of ensuring Iran's accountability to the international community concerning its nuclear program. In a separate interview with the New York Times, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized that the United States remains "committed to engagement on this issue of Iran's nuclear program and resolving our differences diplomatically through multilateral engagement."
Secretary Clinton said, "The bottom line is that it's Iran's leadership that holds the keys as to a successful engagement. And if they begin to show signs that they're willing to comply with the obligations that they already undertook, we're going to be responsive. But," she said, "we're committed to sharpening their choices and putting them in a position where they feel the consequences of not changing their policies."
Secretary of State Clinton said that the Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency have set out a clear framework for Iran to follow in order to comply with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations. Iran's leaders, she said, "know what they have to do. They have to reassure the international community by words and actions as to what their nuclear program is intended for."
Iran's leaders have a pathway "to demonstrate that they are not attempting to obtain nuclear weapons," said Secretary of State Clinton. "They know what is expected of them from the international community. And we are proving that we can pursue a diplomatic track and a very strong pressured track through sanctions in a vigorous way."
