And Rice adopts ‘wait and see’ stance
WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice took a wait-and-see
approach toward Iran’s next moves in a dispute over its nuclear
ambitions, after the country’s top religious leader suggested on Sunday
it could disrupt oil supplies if pushed.
“Well, I think we shouldn’t place too much emphasis on a move of this
kind; after all Iran is very dependent on oil revenue,” Rice told Fox
News Sunday. Asked whether Iranian leaders had already rejected a
six-nation diplomatic initiative, by insisting there be no preconditions
for new talks on their nuclear program, Rice said Iran had not yet
received the proposal and would need time to assess it. “It’s sort of a
major crossroads for Iran, and it’s perhaps not surprising that they
will need a little bit of time to look at it,” she told Fox News.
Washington has offered to join European countries in talks with Iran
about the nuclear program, but says Iran must first suspend uranium
enrichment. Iran has so far said enrichment is a national
right.—Agencies |
