With the UN deadline for Iran to halt sensitive nuclear work ending tomorrow, the US is trying to get the message across to Tehran that there is still time to comply with the Security Council resolution in this regard. Washington is also trying to make the point that the final goal is not sanctions but to "change Iran's behaviour".
At the State Department, Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey refused to respond to a query on "division within the administration" on how to deal with Tehran. While some officials are reportedly pushing for a graduated stepping up of sanctions, others are favouring a more hardline approach.
"We're first of all going to have a serious discussion in the Council after the deadline has passed, and we'll move forward. Obviously, we'll take this step by step.
"We'll take another shot at a resolution that puts sanctions forward. The exact nature of that and whether it will require ad ditional steps or not, we'll just have to wait and see," Casey told reporters.
"The most important thing here, the game plan here and the goal here is not to impose sanctions. The goal here is to change Iranian behaviour and in a way that not only satisfies the concerns of the international community about Iran's potential development of a nuclear weapon, but also ultimately advances the interests of the Iranian people themselves," the State Department spokesman said. PTI
