Remarks by Assistant Secretary Philip Crowley on Iranian Enrichment and Turkey’s Role in the Region (Excerpts)

February 11, 2010

Weapon Program: 

  • Nuclear

Related Country: 

  • Turkey

. . .

QUESTION: Can I ask you now about the Iranian president's claim that they have enriched some uranium to 20 percent? Another personality there, the Atomic Energy Agency chief, saying that if they had to, they could enrich uranium to a hundred percent, just generally.

MR. CROWLEY: I'm not a scientist, but I think there are questions about what Iran's true capability is. They've been boasting a lot of things for a number of years. But we do take their words seriously, and to the extent they have indicated that they have begun enriching to 20 percent, this is in violation of successive UN Security Council resolutions and further solidifies the - our impression and that of the international community that Iran's nuclear intentions are anything but peaceful.

. . .

QUESTION: Thank you, P.J. I wanted to ask a follow-up question on Iran. How do you qualify Turkey's efforts of playing a role with the Iranians on this nuclear issue? The Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is expected to pay a visit to Iran for these talks, for the nuclear talk. And how significant is this - is it going to be for you?

MR. CROWLEY: Well, I think we value the role that Turkey plays as a bridge between the West and the region. It is obviously a country - Iran is a neighbor to Turkey, so it has to develop its own relationship. And we will - we are - we have ongoing dialogue with Turkey regarding issues with respect to Iran, also with respect to Syria and efforts more broadly towards peace in the region.

So the Secretary met when she was in London with the Turkish foreign minister. They stay in regular contact together. I am certain that Iran is one of the subjects that they continue to discuss. We may or may not see the situation identically, but we certainly value Turkey's role in trying to help resolve these issues. And we would simply encourage that we all have to make clear to Iran that the present course that it's on is not the correct one, and that it needs to address the concerns that the entire international community has about its nuclear programs.

OPERATOR: The next question comes from Laura Rozen, the newspaper Politico. Your line is open.

QUESTION: Hi, P.J. The Post is reporting that Iran rejected the American isotope offer. Is that your understanding?

MR. CROWLEY: I don't think that report is necessarily true. I mean they may have, but I don't think that there has been anything that has been formally communicated through the -- to us.

QUESTION: Okay. And also, there is a Reuters report that the Chinese foreign ministry spokespeople are making statements that sound more amenable to supporting a UN Security Council resolution on Iran. Have you all noticed a kind of shift back, I guess, towards being more supportive of an international effort to rebuke Iran?

MR. CROWLEY: Well, I will let my counterparts in the Chinese Government speak for themselves. We will continue to talk to all members of the P-5+1 as we continue to work to its prospective proposal on sanctions.

QUESTION: Do you expect, out of the IAEA Board of Governors meeting tomorrow, a further resolution on Iran?

MR. CROWLEY: I don't know.

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QUESTION: Hi. Thanks so much for taking our call here. Al Jazeera English did an interview earlier with Iran's atomic energy chief, Salehi, who said in the interview, and I quote, "I caution President Obama. Please do not take any wrong step, because any wrong step will emanate consequences that are beyond the imagination of anybody. Do not test Iran."

So I'm wondering if we might be able to get some reaction from State.

MR. CROWLEY: I would caution that this is -- I know as much as people want to make this a face-off between the United States and Iran, this is a question about Iran and its future relationship with other countries in the region, and other countries around the world.

We all have concerns about Iran's nuclear programs, its true ambitions. And it is the erratic comments and behavior of Iran that continue to heighten the situation. Iran has been given an opportunity to engage constructively. It has consistently shown that it is unwilling to engage constructively. We haven't closed the door to engagement. The opportunity is still there to come to the IAEA, and to work on solutions that address Iran's nuclear ambitions, and also provide opportunities for Iran to pursue the fruits of a peaceful civilian and nuclear program. That is expressly why we put the proposal on the table regarding the Tehran research reactor, because it does produce medical isotopes that are of importance and value to the Iranians.

So if the Iranian Government has the interests of all of its people at heart, then it should be able to come to the table, engage the international community constructively, and find ways to resolve the various issues that separate us.

It is expressly the unwillingness of Iran to engage constructively that brought us here to focus attention on the pressure track. We are doing this in close consultation with our partners in the P-5+1 process, so that if -- it's not about testing Iran; it's about making clear to Iran that the international community is determined, and that should Iran continue down the wrongful course that it's on, there will be consequences, there will be a price to pay.

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