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QUESTION: Is Iran's announced discovery of uranium a new cause for alarm?

MR. MCCORMACK: Iran's announced discovery --

QUESTION: Discovery of uranium deposits.

MR. MCCORMACK: More uranium. I think they discovered that they had more uranium or they said they have more uranium -- they're throwing up all sorts of chaff in the air right now to divert attention to try to make threatening statements to the international community. So this is all indication that they're feeling increasingly uncomfortable, I think, with their current status, which is verging on their being subject to a Chapter 7 resolution.

Right now, Under Secretary Nick Burns, Assistant Secretary Kristen Silverberg are meeting in Paris with the political directors from the P-5+1. Under Secretary Burns has already had some individual consultations. He's met with French officials. He has met with the EU-3. He has had a meeting with his Chinese counterpart and also had a consultation via phone with his Russian counterpart. They all are now meeting in a plenary session of the P-5+1 and then I think they're going to be going on to a dinner later on tonight.

So that's what we know about the status of the discussions right now. A big part of what they are talking about is specific language of a Chapter 7 resolution. And I would expect that those discussions would continue even after this set of meetings in Paris, but we are going to be looking for and pushing for a Chapter 7 resolution in the not-too-distant future.

Yes, Sue.

QUESTION: Russia and China are saying publicly, again, that they do not support sanctions and that they wouldn't -- they're not going to follow you along that route. So where does that leave you in terms of the P-5? It looks like there's a growing sort of division within the P-5 as to how to tackle Iran.

MR. MCCORMACK: No, I think that they have made their concerns known previously about sanctions and this gets down to a tactical issue of what they think might work to pressure the Iranian regime into changing its behavior. We have a different view of that. That is one of the subjects we are going to be talking about, but I want to point out that the focus of this current resolution is not one on sanctions. It is a Chapter 7 resolution that would compel Iran to comply with the previous requests of the Security Council in the form of a presidential statement, as well as the IAEA Board of Governors statement. That had a series of things that it asked Iran to do.

Previously, the international community was asking Iran to do these things. Once you get into the realm of a Chapter 7 resolution that is compelling, demanding and that Iran is then obligated to follow through with what the international community has laid down for them. Part of that is suspending their enrichment activities.

So we'll see how the Iranians react once there is a Chapter 7 resolution with these demands on them in which they are compelled to follow through on what has been demanded of them. And then if -- certainly the issue of sanctions and other diplomatic levers are out there, either through the Security Council or individual states or likeminded states acting together. But one does not preclude the other; individual states certainly can act outside a Security Council resolution. That certainly is their prerogative. But if individual states do that, that doesn't prevent the Security Council itself from considering sanctions or asset freezes or travel restrictions itself down the road. So those are both possibilities down the road and they are two separate yet parallel -- two parallel paths.

QUESTION: Also, Iran has indicated that if the U.S. launches any sort of military action against Iran, even though that may be a long way off, if ever, that they would hit Israel immediately.

MR. MCCORMACK: Again, we are pursuing a diplomatic path. Secretary Rice and the President have made very clear that that is not on the agenda at this point. Look, this is more of the same, Sue, of threatening, hateful statements coming out of this regime. Previously, President Ahmadi-Nejad had talked about wiping Israel off the map and describing it as a tumor that needed to be removed. So this is again another string of these kinds of statements coming out of Iran.

And what the statements do is the net effect is to really give pause to the international community and cause people to think: Do you really want to have this Iranian regime in possession of a nuclear weapon? And I think the answer to that is no, and these statements put in high relief exactly why you don't want that to happen. That is why it is so important for the international community to stay united and to act in a strong manner in confronting Iran when it continues to defy the international community. We are talking about what diplomatic steps we could take to compel them to change their behavior, so that's where our focus is right now.

QUESTION: That the Chapter resolution you're working on -- and you were asked about Russia and China not going along -- maybe we're missing each other. Maybe what they are objecting to is not something you're proposing. In other words, Chapter 7 isn't a sanctions resolution.

MR. MCCORMACK: Not necessarily.

QUESTION: Here's the second question. How can you require them to do something without having teeth in the resolution?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, it does -- again, there are a few things, Barry, here. They have worked very hard to avoid being before the Security Council. They now find themselves before the Security Council. This is another step along the diplomatic pathway. Our approach has been to build a consensus to gradually increase the diplomatic pressure on Iran, to give them every chance, every opportunity to come back in line with mainstream behavior in the international community with regard to this question of their nuclear program. They have, thus far, chosen not to do so. So we are going to continue to ratchet up the diplomatic pressure that a Chapter 7 resolution, which comes with the force of international law behind it, is the next step.

Now you rightly point out that a Chapter 7 resolution can contain sanctions. That is not what is under discussion at this point. But that is certainly a possibility that is out there, along with other diplomatic steps, should Iran choose not to change its behavior and continue down this pathway of seeking a nuclear weapon.

QUESTION: Is it your understanding that Russia and China do not object to that approach?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, we'll see. That's what we're discussing right now, Barry, in Paris and I'm not going to try to prejudge the outcome of those discussions. But everybody agrees on the fact that Iran should not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. Everybody agrees that that is important and that the international community needs to act through diplomatic means to prevent that. The question is a matter of diplomatic tactics and that's where we are. That has been the discussion all along, Barry, is what tactics do we use to compel that change in behavior.

Teri.

QUESTION: You've often said that you're not sure how much information the Iranian public is getting, whether they know what their President is doing and why the implications or what the implications are.

MR. MCCORMACK: Right.

QUESTION: But people have done a lot of reporting out of Iran now, including presently, and it seems that the people do know what's happening and that they support Ahmadi-Nejad's actions. Does that change your calculus at all, or is that something that you're taking into consideration?

MR. MCCORMACK: No, no. I've read a lot of news reporting out of Iran as well, and what it does is it talks about a nuclear program -- the reporting that I have looked at. So it's not clear that the distinction is being made between a peaceful nuclear program and a nuclear weapons program. And it's not clear to me that they have made clear to the Iranian public that they are abrogating their international agreements, that they are now -- that they now find themselves further and further away from the mainstream of behavior in the international community. And it is also not clear to me that they have explained to the Iranian population the opportunity costs involved here, and the opportunities that they are giving up is the possibility to have a peaceful civilian nuclear program to generate electricity while providing objective guarantees to the international community, and at the same time, realizing a different kind of relationship potentially with the rest of the world. Now, the European-3 have made very attractive offers to them as well as the Russian government, and it is not clear that the specifics of what has been offered to the Iranian regime have been laid out clearly to the Iranian public.

QUESTION: They get satellite television and they get the internet, why wouldn't they know?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, again, that reaches certain segments of the population; it doesn't reach the entire population. This is also a place where newspapers get shut down when the government doesn't like what gets printed in them. So this is not a society in which there is certainly perfectly flow of -- open flow of information. Yes, they do have satellite TV and, yes, they do travel. But you're also only talking about certain segments of the population there.

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