“Iran should not use the cover of civilian nuclear power development, an opportunity granted to it by NPT membership, to sustain a programme that could lead to a nuclear weapon, and indeed we and the EU Three have been in very close consultation about the efforts that the EU Three is making to get the Iranians to live up to their international obligations, and frankly the Iranians ought to take the opportunity that is being presented to them to show that they want to live up to their international obligations” she said.
Rice also hinted for a possible referral of the Iranian regime’s nuclear case to the United Nations Security Council and said, “The prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon is deeply de-stabilising, it is de-stabilising to Irans neighbours, for very good reasons, it would be de-stabilising for peace and security internationally. That is why there has been I think now very strong international consensus that Iran cannot be allowed to go down that route”.
She however insisted that a U.S. military attack on Iran was “simply not on the agenda at this point in time”.
Rice also talked about Iran’s support for terrorism, saying, “Iran engages in activities that are destabilising to the region in which it lives, particularly when it comes to support for terrorism which is aimed directly at destabilising and frustrating the Palestinian-Israeli peace which we all seek”.
Referring to Iran’s human rights violations, Rice said “We have all been concerned about the abysmal human rights record of the Iranian regime. There are very recent examples of just how abysmal that human rights record is, and we know that this is an Iranian population with a flourishing history and culture and civil society that frankly deserves better than to have an un-elected few frustrate their aspirations”.
