Rice Discusses Iranian Nuclear Issue
Speaking at a gathering of NATO ministers in Brussels, Rice noted that the United States is presently content to wait and see if ongoing meetings between a British, German and French diplomatic consortium and Iranian officials bear fruit.
American and European officials believe Iran may be trying to illegally develop nuclear weapons under the cover of its nuclear power program. Iranian authorities have consistently denied the accusation.
Rice said U.S. officials are in close contact with the European emissaries trying to resolve the issue.
"The Iranians know what they need to do," America's top diplomat pointed out. "They shouldn't be permitted to, under cover of civilian nuclear power, … try to build a nuclear weapon."
The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency, according to news reports, has investigated Iran's nuclear-power system for suspected illegal weapons programs, but didn't find any hard evidence.
The United States has repeatedly urged the United Nations to slap Iran with political and economic sanctions if it does not comply with the international community and stop seeking to develop enriched uranium nuclear fuel. Enriched uranium can be used in the making of nuclear weapons.
"I think everybody understands," Rice observed, "that the Iranians have to be held to their international obligations."
Biography:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said today that his country will never give up its nuclear development process.

Talking to foreign ambassadors in Tehran, he said, "We give our guarantee that we will not produce nuclear weapons because we're against them and do not believe they are a source of power, but we will not give up peaceful nuclear technology."

"Iran has achieved nuclear technology without the help of others, and it will never give up its right to use it under illegitimate pressure from others," Khatami said.

His remarks come as Iran faces increasing pressure to curb its nuclear activities. The United States and the European Union wants the country to give up enriching uranium, a key process in both nuclear power generation and weapons production. Iran claims to have suspended such enrichment—President Khatmi said that enrichment is "our clear right" but that Iran had suspended it only "to show our goodwill". The EU wants a permanent cessation.

Khatami also denounced, "the slanders of the American rulers against the Iranian nation and the establishment", saying they were aimed at "putting a cover on the failures of the extremist US policy".

Newly-appointed U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said while touring Europe this week that diplomacy with Iran must be given every chance to succeed, adding that no deadline had been set to take the issue to the UN Security Council.