Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Remarks on Effect of Iran Sanctions and Iran Talks in Interview with Kim Ghattas of the BBC (Excerpts)

December 3, 2010

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QUESTION: A follow-up question about Iran. On Monday in Geneva, Washington and its partners in the P-5+1 will hold talks with Iran about its nuclear program. You've tried this before. You thought it would work last time. Why do you think it will be different now?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Because I think that Iran has realized since the last meeting, which was in October 2009, that they're not going to escape pressure from the international community. They were quite surprised to have the entire world decide to impose sanctions. They didn't think that would happen to them. They've been surprised that the United States, European Union, Japan, and others have imposed additional sanctions, and that the vast majority of the nations in the world are honoring those sanctions. We know that they're having an effect inside Iran. So I think Iran comes to the table with a much more sober assessment of what isolation means, what the impact on their economy has been, and we hope that will cause them to have the kind of serious negotiation we're seeking.

QUESTION: But a quick follow-up, if I may. Why not cut to the chase and tell Iran that it can enrich its own uranium on its own territory, since everybody knows that this what is probably the end result.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we told them that they are entitled to the peaceful use of civil nuclear energy. But they haven't yet restored the confidence of the international community, to the extent where the international community would feel comfortable allowing them to enrich, which is why with the Bushehr plant that Russia has helped build, Russia is not letting them enrich. Russia is taking the spent fuel out and reprocessing. Iran has to come to the table recognizing that they have lost the confidence of even longtime supporters and allies or those who believed them, took them at face value. They can do this, and then they can enrich uranium at some future date once they have demonstrated that they can do so in a responsible manner in accordance with international obligations.

QUESTION: Madam Secretary, thank you very much --

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.

QUESTION: For your time.