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Q And then, second, on Iran, Ahmadinejad said this morning that the U.S. can set all the deadlines it wants, it doesn't matter to them. Is that the same message that the U.S. is getting from its negotiators? And if that is the case --
MR. GIBBS: From its negotiators?
Q With Iran on the nuclear deal.
MR. GIBBS: Look, I think that the international community is united in this. This is not something that the President has said. This is not something -- or just that the President has said. This is something that the members of the P5-plus-1 have said. That's why we are at the point where we are now with the international community, waiting to see, and have been waiting to see for months, whether Iran will live up to its responsibilities.
Mr. Ahmadinejad may not recognize, for whatever reason, the deadline that looms, but that is a very real deadline for the international community. And I think all of those involved in the P5-plus-1 would encourage Iran to take that deadline as seriously as it's being taken by us to live up to their responsibilities. It is in his control what Iran decides to do.
The offer that was put forward by the P5-plus-1 and by the IAEA that -- I think clarified for the world what Iran's intentions were. Now they have to live up to those responsibilities, and if they fail to do so, the international community will act accordingly.
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Q On Iran again, I'm wondering if now that Iran has sort of made its intentions clear that it doesn't plan to apparently abide by this December 31st deadline, has the White House then started making plans for the next phase, realizing that --
MR. GIBBS: We began making those plans weeks ago, Dan, as you heard the President talk about on his trip to Asia.
Q And so it's clear to the White House now that Iran is not going to back down?
MR. GIBBS: Well, that's an Iranian decision. That's not a decision that we and the P5-plus-1 will make. The decision for them to live up to their responsibilities is their decision. We have offered them a different path. If they decide not to take it, then the American -- our delegation with the P5-plus-1 will move accordingly. Those preparations have begun. Discussions have been had with leaders about those next steps at the U.N., as you know, in September in meetings with the President and the Chinese on his recent trip. So we've begun to take those steps if China is unwilling to take -- I'm sorry -- if Iran is unwilling to pursue its responsibilities.
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