US wants Iran answer in nuclear standoff this week: official
AFP, October, 2006
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States are giving European negotiators until the end of the week to convince Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program and will then pursue sanctions if Tehran fails to comply, a senior US official said. The latest contact between European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani Monday failed to result in Iranian agreement to suspend enrichment as required by the UN Security Council, State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said on Tuesday.
"There's no change in the Iranian position, which is there's no decision on their part to suspend," he said. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, the State Department's point man on Iran, earlier told The Washington Times that Tehran needed to make an unambiguous commitment to suspend enrichment this week or face sanctions. "If (Iran's answer) is maybe, it's a no," Burns was quoted as saying on Tuesday. "If ...