U.S. Pledges to Halt "Illicit" Iranian Nuclear Activity

U.S. President Barack Obama intends to pursue polices aimed at halting Iran's pursuit of an "illicit nuclear capacity," Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 26).

The United States and other Western powers have expressed concern that Iranian atomic activities could support nuclear-weapon development, but Tehran has insisted its nuclear intentions are strictly peaceful.

.... The Obama administration is sending "a mixed signal" about its possible intention to seek dialogue with Tehran on its nuclear program, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Reza Salari said yesterday.

"Somehow in that domain we are witnessing more rationality in the present U.S. administration. They are not talking with the same tone that existed before," he said. "But still, the signal that is reaching Iran from the United States is not a very clear and proper one."

.... Dennis Ross, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recently appointed Southwest Asia adviser, "strongly backs stepping up sanctions against Iran (and) supports profound U.S.-Israeli cooperation to confront Iran's nuclear activities," Iranian state radio said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 24; Edith Lederer, Associated Press/Google News, Feb. 26).

It remained unclear how Ross would affect Washington's Iran policy, the Washington Times reported yesterday. He is expected to help draft a national security directive on the administration's strategies for talking with Iran and for pursuing new economic penalties should the state fail to alter its nuclear policy, one U.S. official said.

The Obama administration is likely to seek negotiations with Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rather than wait for the outcome of the June presidential race, said Patrick Clawson, deputy research head at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Ross' former workplace.

.... The Obama administration is likely to seek negotiations with Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rather than wait for the outcome of the June presidential race, said Patrick Clawson, deputy research head at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Ross' former workplace.

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, a reformist who is seeking the office again, "has a record of not being able to accomplish very much," Clawson said. "The key decision-maker is Khamenei and not the Iranian president. Therefore, U.S. policy should concentrate on how to engage with the supreme leader."

"There is no way you are going to prevent them from having [nuclear] capability," added Lawrence Korb, a Reagan-era defense official who is now a fellow at the Center for American Progress. "What you can do is prevent them from making nuclear weapons."

The relatively low-profile announcement of Ross' appointment raised questions about how important a role he would play in shaping U.S. policy on Iran, according to the Times. The official has adopted a behind-the-scenes style in the past, former co-workers said (Eli Lake, Washington Times, Feb. 26).

Meanwhile, the 35-nation IAEA governing board is expected to address Iran on Monday at its first meeting since Obama took office last month, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported.

The board is unlikely to issue resolutions or take other action on Iran's nuclear program, though, because the Obama administration is still reviewing its Iran policy, several Vienna-based diplomats said.

Even if Tehran does not pursue a nuclear weapon, its growing uranium stockpile could still give it a nuclear deterrent, one of the envoys said.

"That's probably what they always wanted," said the official (Albert Otti, Deutsche Presse-Agentur/Monsters and Critics, Feb. 27).