MR. MCCORMACK: Good afternoon. I have one brief opening statement and then we can get into questions. We'll release the whole text of the statement after the briefing. This is concerning the UN Security Council Resolution on Iran that passed 14 to 1 just this morning.
"We are extremely pleased by the UN Security Council's clear and strong action today by adopting Resolution 1696. This tough resolution sends an unequivocal and mandatory message to Tehran: Take the steps required by the IAEA Board of Governors, including full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, and suspend construction of the heavy water reactor. In setting a deadline for August 31st for Iran's full, unconditional, and immediate compliance, this significant resolution expresses the international community's determination to deal firmly with the direct threat to international peace and security posed by Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons."
With that, I'm happy to take your questions.
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QUESTION: The only vote against the resolution was the one of Qatar. Since Qatar is a very good U.S. ally in the Persian Gulf, I wonder whether you had discussions with them and do you know why they voted the way they did?
MR. MCCORMACK: I think John Bolton talked to them. They had an explanation of the vote and John, in public, just a while ago, said that he understood that it was a matter of timing, not a matter of substance. We'll take them at their word in that regard. I don't know if we are going to have any other follow-up conversations with them, Nicholas.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) the United States thought that this could have been a stronger resolution, specifically with regard to immediate sanction?
MR. MCCORMACK: This is exactly what we said we were going to get when we started this process and it's what we have. It has -- it contains in it, if you look at the resolution, a statement that if Iran does not comply with what the international community has asked it to do, then it is subject to sanctions. And that's something that we will -- if they don't comply, then we'll take up after the August 31st deadline.
QUESTION: Sean.
MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah.
QUESTION: Iran had talked to the UN body, if there is a resolution against Iran, then they will not negotiate or talk to anyone else at all about their nuclear program.
MR. MCCORMACK: Uh-huh; are they're going to stomp their feet and hold their breath until they turn blue, too? Look; this is -- the international community has been very clear in what is required of Iran. I can't explain to you what's going into their calculation, why they have not complied. Either they are -- have some idea that they gain by willfully going against the will of the international community or they have something to hide. You know, I don't know what the explanation is, but it is in their interests, it's in the interest of the international community and the Iranian people for them to comply.
What has been offered to them is a pathway to realize the kind of peaceful uses of nuclear energy that they say they want. That's what they've said, so the international community has offered them a pathway. All we're doing is asking -- we, the IAEA, and the P-5+1 and now the UN Security Council is asking them to suspend all their enrichment-related activities so that we can have negotiations. It's not asking them to decide what the endpoint of those negotiations is. That's what the deal is here. We and the P-5+1 will suspend activity within the Security Council in return for their suspending activity in their uranium enrichment-related programs. It's very simple.
They've chosen, to this point, to defy the call of the international community and we'll see what happens in the intervening time. They have an opportunity now, during the month of August, to meet with the call of the international community. We'll see if they do so.
QUESTION: Sean, you think -- just to follow quick, you think they have in mind this -- that if Pakistan can keep it, then why they can't keep it?
MR. MCCORMACK: You know, Goyal, I can't -- you know, I can't go into the decision-making processes of the Iranian leadership.
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QUESTION: Apparently, the next step will be very clear, because at the end of August, you're not going to see anything or hear anything from Iran. Then that will be the sanction; is it?
MR. MCCORMACK: Well, we'll see. I'm not going to try to predict what reaction they're going to have to this. I saw one news report saying that the resolution has no legal basis, so I'm not sure what that means. This is a Security Council resolution that has the basis -- it was based in international law that requires them to do this. A member of the United Nations, this resolution requires them to take certain actions. We'll see if they comply with that. We'll see. I'm not going to try to predict one way or the other. We hope that they do in fact take up the opportunity that has been offered them and -- but we'll see. We'll see. The decision is up to them.
James.
QUESTION: Given that Iran had six or eight weeks to consider the package and made no discernible movements in the direction the allies wanted to see, why was Iran given in this resolution a full -- another full month to ponder things again?
MR. MCCORMACK: Well, this is the approach that we have been pursuing for some time, James, and Secretary Rice laid this out several -- laid it out several months ago, back to May, that we would pursue an approach of gradually trying to step up the pressure on Iran to maybe heighten some of the choices for them and that they might see their way clear to engage in serious, constructive negotiations with the international community. Thus far they have chosen not to pursue that pathway of negotiations so the pressure is going to gradually increase on them. The hope is that they will take up this opportunity.
This is a resolution that passed 14 to 1. That's a pretty strong signal to the Iranian regime. They don't have anywhere to hide right now. They can't hide behind anybody. They at this point don't have any protectors. So the spotlight is on them to see whether or not they are going to make the tough decision. Are they going to pursue the pathway of negotiation? Are they going to pursue the pathway of further isolation? This resolution shows that they are now pursuing -- they are going down that road of further isolation.
QUESTION: Just as a matter of fact, have discussions begun with other countries about what the future steps will be if in fact there is no movement from Iran?
MR. MCCORMACK: In general, yes. In general, there is the package that was agreed upon in Vienna in which there was the positive pathway and the negative pathway. On the negative side there was a menu, if you will, of possible sanctions that all agreed among the P-5+1 would be on the table. Now, when to use any particular sanction or group of sanctions is going to be a point of discussion. So there is already agreement on the use of sanctions. And as for specific discussions, James, I'll have to see if there's anything more that I can add to it. I think certainly there have been general discussions but I don't think it's really gone beyond that, certainly at the senior political level.
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