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MR. CROWLEY: I mean, it's unclear what the president was referring to yesterday. I think from our standpoint, we will look for actions as opposed to just words. To the extent that the president is offering a new perspective on the Tehran research reactor arrangement that was offered to Iran last fall in Geneva, we will look forward to hearing about the Iranian position through the IAEA. So - but it's - I think we're just seeking clarification through the IAEA as to whether Tehran has changed its current position.

QUESTION: Does the U.S. view Ahmadinejad's comments last night as perhaps another form of stalling?

MR. CROWLEY: Unclear. I mean, obviously if, as he suggested, Tehran is willing to move forward to accept the arrangement that has been offered so that - this would be of benefit to the Iranian people, and it would clearly be welcome news from the international community. The real question is whether this represents a yes and whether Tehran is willing to communicate that to the IAEA.

QUESTION: Is it fair to say that the only acceptable answer is the one that comes to the response to the IAEA proposal?

MR. CROWLEY: Well, the IAEA is the agency that is directly responsible for pursuing this, should Tehran say yes. So that is the appropriate forum for which Iran should give its answer.

QUESTION: Just a follow-up on --

QUESTION: Has the IAEA told you that they've heard anything new from the Iranians?

MR. CROWLEY: Not to my knowledge.

. . .

QUESTION: Richard Haas has written in Newsweek this week that perhaps it's time for the U.S. to seriously consider encouraging some sort of regime change in Iran.

MR. CROWLEY: That is ultimately a matter for the Iranian people. There is a government in Iran. As we have said clearly for the past year, we are prepared to engage this government in - out of mutual interest and mutual respect to resolve the nuclear concerns that we have and the international community shares, as well as engage in a broad-based dialogue on a range of issues, concerns that we have, concerns that Iran has.

For a variety of reasons, Iran has been unable, unwilling to constructively engage in this dialogue. But what you're seeing in Iran is questions that the Iranian people have about its government stemming from the election in June, the results of which were not credible.

So it is up to Iran to answer the questions that its people has. If there's a question of legitimacy, that question rests in the eyes of the Iranian people. That's not a matter for the United States to judge.

QUESTION: Do you have anything more on P-5+1 consultations?

MR. CROWLEY: I would expect that there will be a P-5+1 consultation. I'm still not exactly sure of the form it will take, but I would expect that to happen in the next few days.

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