By Jesse Liebman --
February 25, 2010
U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton says a new group of sanctions against Iran over the nation's nuclear program, could be put to a vote in the UN Security Council in less than a month.
Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday, Clinton said a year of "intense" and "patient" engagement by top U.S. diplomats with international allies is beginning to pay dividends, as nations once deeply opposed to the idea of hard sanctions against Iran are now changing their minds.
Iran insists its nuclear program is meant for producing fuel for peaceful purposes, but Clinton said "language is being hammered out" at the UN on a fourth round of sanctions to punish Tehran for being unable to assure the world that it is not developing a nuclear weapon.
"Our very clear commitment to engagement has created space for a lot of these countries to now consider supporting sanctions that they might not have otherwise because we have demonstrated the strategic patience to exhaust the international efforts of convincing Iran to do the right thing without sanctions," Clinton said.
Iran has released a document that details the terms and conditions for Tehran to give up its stockpile of enriched uranium, in accordance with a deal negotiated by the International Atomic Energy Agency, but Iran has requested that this be completed as exchange for fuel rods in its research reactor.
Washington has dismissed the document, and is considering consulting with its allies to decide a proper course of action.
