WASHINGTON (JTA) — Hillary Rodham Clinton warned Iran of "consequences" unless it cooperates with United Nations nuclear inspectors.
"If Tehran does not comply with United Nations Security Council and IAEA mandates, there must be consequences," the U.S. secretary of state said Tuesday after meeting with her German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Clinton was referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog; the agency has slammed Iran for frustrating its inspections.
President Barack Obama has said he favors increased direct contact with Iran, but his advisers have also spoken of intensifying economic sanctions.
How to deal with Iran also came up in a meeting when Clinton discussed how to deal with Iran with her British counterpart, David Miliband.
Iran’s launch this week of a satellite intensified concerns about its suspected nuclear weapons program.
"Iran’s development of a space launch vehicle (SLV) capable of putting a satellite into orbit establishes the technical basis from which Iran could develop long-range ballistic missile systems," State Department spokesman David Wood said in a release that said the launch triggered "deep concern."
"Many of the technological building blocks involved in SLVs are the same as those required to develop long-range ballistic missiles."
William Burns, an undersecretary of state, was meeting Wednesday in New York with counterparts from the major powers dealing with Iran: the United States, Germany, Russia, Britain, France, China and Russia.
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