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QUESTION: It appears that international community looking forward to the regime of Iran for other issues, such as supporting the terrorism, interfering to Iran and helping the Hezbollah in Lebanon. Do you have any comment on that?

MR. ERELI: When we speak about Iran, we speak about a number of concerns. Obviously, their nuclear program is at the forefront of public debate right now, as evidenced by the presidential statement at the Security Council that was agreed on yesterday, as well as the meetings of the P-5 and Germany in Berlin today. So that's a big concern, a big issue for all of us. But that's not to ignore other problems with the regime's policies and the regime's actions, including the support for terror, whether it be Hezbollah or Palestinian rejectionist groups, or the continuing oppression of the rights of their own citizens.

And as the Secretary said on her way to Berlin, these would be subjects of conversation with the P-5 partners because, frankly, what we're trying to do is to act together in a way that helps the Iranian people realize their ambitions for a great country connected with the rest of the world as opposed to the decisions of a regime -- an unelected regime -- that push Iran in the opposite direction: isolated and in confrontation with the international community.

Yes, ma'am.

QUESTION: Mohamed ElBaradei says that Iran is not a threat in the near term and that any sanctions you might impose on them would be a bad idea, counterproductive. What do you say to that?

MR. ERELI: I think that the German Foreign Minister and Secretary of State Rice and the other foreign ministers were very eloquent on that score today in Berlin and I'd refer you to their comments. They said, look, we've taken stock of where we are at the present time, and that is a united international community, a united Security Council, in its concern over Iran's nuclear program, in concern over its refusal to respond positively to the call by the Board of Governors to suspend its enrichment activity and to return to negotiations, and calling on Iran to do so and for the Director-General to report back to the IAEA and the Security Council in 30 days.

As the German Foreign Minister said, Iran has a choice between negotiation and confrontation and isolation. And we, as the presidential statement says and as today's meeting in Berlin demonstrates, are united in our common approach to confronting Iran's program and, frankly, the danger that it represents for all of us.

QUESTION: Well, what do you say directly to ElBaradei's comments?

MR. ERELI: I think the presidential statement and the statement by the foreign ministers is a eloquent and comprehensive expression of where we are on the subject.

Yeah.

QUESTION: The Washington Post quotes Mr. Lavrov as saying that any sanctions or use of force would not be supported. So what kind of unity are we talking about and what kind of isolation are you hoping to give?

MR. ERELI: The unity that we have is that the P-5, the other members of the Security Council, which is an important body for dealing with issues related to peace and security in the international community, has said Iran's nuclear program is a problem and Iran has for too long been rejecting and refusing to cooperate with the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency and they need to change that kind of behavior. So that is a powerful and important statement or expression of consensus, an expression of common purpose in confronting a repeated pattern of defiance and non-cooperation and confrontation.

Again, I think from our perspective the focus of all of this is Iranian behavior. And if you're going to understand where we're coming from, it's important to look at what Iran is doing or failing to do and how we are all working together step by step in a diplomatic process to address Iran's failures, to address Iran's non-cooperation, as an international community within the context of or within the framework of international agreements and international organizations and international diplomacy, and we'll continue to do that.

And as Iran takes certain actions, we will respond in kind. Whether that be in a positive direction by suspending enrichment or returning to negotiations or whether it be in a negative direction by continuing to enrich and continuing to resist the calls of the IAEA for transparency. But again, as was said in Berlin, there is a serious confidence deficit, serious trust deficit, with respect to Iran by the international community. And it's up to Iran to restore -- to take steps to address that deficit. So far, everything they've done merely contributes to increased distrust and increased skepticism and doubts about Iranian intentions, and they've done nothing to allay those doubts.

Yeah.

QUESTION: Another question, still on this. How does the U.S. see the role of the IAEA continuing here? That's one of the issues under discussion now in the P-5 +1.

MR. ERELI: Yeah. Again, the Secretary was very explicit about that in her comments on the way to Germany and the statement of the -- the presidential statement of the Security Council was very explicit about that. And the purpose is -- of the statement and of our diplomacy, frankly, is to put the weight of the Security Council and the international community behind the IAEA in its efforts to get Iran to abide by its safeguards obligations and in support of diplomacy to address this problem.

QUESTION: But if this were so clear, why would it still be an issue of contention and discussion amongst the P-5 members?

MR. ERELI: It's not an issue of contention.

QUESTION: You think everybody's satisfied? You think all P-5 members are satisfied that they're on the same page with regard to role of the IAEA?

MR. ERELI: Yeah. That's why we had a presidential statement by consensus.

QUESTION: You were previously speaking about progressive approach. So what is the next step? A resolution?

MR. ERELI: The next step is we've got -- Iran has 30 days to --

QUESTION: Yeah, so it's a consensus for 30 days.

MR. ERELI: Right. Yeah.

QUESTION: It's very short.

MR. ERELI: Let's see what Iran does.

QUESTION: You keep on telling us that, you know, you're ratcheting up the pressure.

MR. ERELI: The presidential statement by the Security Council is, I think, an important, as the Secretary said in her statement yesterday, an important diplomatic step. The issue has been discussed, not in the technical body, but in a political body that is responsible for international peace and security. It has been presented to that body, debated and they have put forward their view that Iranians' actions are of concern and that Iran needs to cooperate with the IAEA. That is an important development in the diplomacy on this issue.

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