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QUESTION: Let's shift to Iran quickly. Their Oil Minister said today that he doesn't think the United Nations is going to impose sanctions because he said it'll just drive up the price of oil even more and the United States wouldn't want that. Well, there is something in what he says. Sanctions probably would drive up the price of oil.
SECRETARY RICE: Well, it --
QUESTION: But what will we do? Are we going to push for sanctions?
SECRETARY RICE: Well, it depends on what kind of sanctions ultimately are levied against Iran. First of all, we are going to press for a Chapter 7 resolution which would take the presidential statement that was passed a month ago and would now make it compelling, a compellence on Iran to do that.
I don't think that -- you know, we're going to take it one step at a time. No one is talking about going to oil and gas sanctions. This is an Iran that does not want to be isolated from the international community. The international community has a number of steps that it can take through financial measures that it can take, through asset freezes.
QUESTION: Well --
SECRETARY RICE: But you know, when the Iranians say things like we don't care if there are sanctions, then I ask myself then why are they working so hard to stay out of the Security Council, why are they suddenly saying they're interested in the Russian proposal, why are they suddenly saying oh, by the way, yes, we will allow snap inspections, why are they suddenly saying, well, let's get this back into the IAEA? It really doesn't sound like a regime that is simply unaware of what might happen to them.
QUESTION: So you still hold out hope that we can do something short of warfare that would stop them from enriching uranium and moving toward building a nuclear weapon, if that's what they choose to do?
SECRETARY RICE: Oh, I absolutely believe that we have a lot of diplomatic arrows in our quiver at the Security Council and also likeminded states that might be able and willing to look at additional measures if the Security Council does not move quickly enough.
QUESTION: Well, the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee Richard Lugar, Republican, says we ought to talk to them face to face. Would we ever consider that?
SECRETARY RICE: Well, first of all, we do talk to the Iranians about limited issues. We've talked to them in Afghanistan. We've --
QUESTION: What about this?
SECRETARY RICE: On this, I think the Iranians know what they need to do. The United States has been very clear in public, in private, in every way conceivable, that we back completely the options that have been given to the Iranians for a civil nuclear program, whether it's the EU proposal or the Russian proposal.
QUESTION: Well, let me just ask you, when you bring up Russia, shouldn't we be getting more support on this from the Russians and from the Chinese? Why do we have such a hard time convincing them that we ought to take strong measures?
SECRETARY RICE: The Russians and the Chinese did vote -- well, the Russians did, the Chinese abstained -- to refer this to the Security Council. There is a presidential statement that was unanimous in the Security Council. But yes, I do think that as we go forward the international community is going to face a choice, just as Iran faces a choice: Are we going to be credible in what we have been saying about the need for Iranian compliance, are we going to continue to allow the will of the international community to be defied? That is a choice.
And my own view and I think the view of the Europeans and of others is that the credibility of the Security Council is extremely important not just to this case but to the broader search for peace and security. And so when we go back after the 30 days having just expired, no one can contemplate just another presidential statement. We need to get to a Chapter 7 resolution.
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