The United States has said that it is fully prepared to hold talks with Iran anytime on the nuclear issue and hoped for high-level parleys soon along with five other world powers on the matter.
“We are clearly indicating a willingness to engage Iran directly and we’ll see how Iran responds in the coming days and weeks,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.
The Obama administration, which recently took the lead at the UN Security Council to slap fresh sets of sanctions against Iran and this month had announced a series of sanctions against it, however said such move alone would not be able to achieve the goals of the international community.
“We see important utility in sanctions. Sanctions by themselves will not answer the questions that the international community has. Sanctions by themselves will not assuage the concerns that we have,” Crowley told reporters.
“Ultimately, there needs to be a process and dialogue where Iran can come forward and, we hope, answer the questions that we have about the nature of its programme,” he said.
“If Iran remains out of compliance with its international obligations, and at the same time, it continues activity of great concern to us and to others, including the further enrichment of nuclear material, that has consequences and we will evaluate the choices that Iran makes,” Crowley said.
Noting that the US is using sanctions to apply pressure on Iran, he hoped the Iranian leadership will change its assessment of its current course and the costs that are attended to that.
“We think that the sanctions are having an effect and can have an additional effect. We’re seeing companies and countries retreat from engaging in commerce with Iranian entities. And this is making it more difficult for Iran to do business,” he said.