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White House wants actions, not promises, from Iran

Iran Materials 23 May 2012 02:48 (UTC +04:00)
The White House Tuesday described an agreement between Iran and the United Nations on Tehran's nuclear programme as a "step forward", dpa reported.
White House wants actions, not promises, from Iran

The White House Tuesday described an agreement between Iran and the United Nations on Tehran's nuclear programme as a "step forward", dpa reported.

But spokesman Jay Carney said the United States would only make judgements about Iran's behaviour "based on actions, not just promises or agreements."

He said the United States would continue to press forward with escalating international sanctions, meaning Iran will face "significant and harsh consequences" through unprecedented steps that now threaten Iran's economy through the crackdown on its banks and oil industry.

Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), have agreed in principle on a probe of suspected work on nuclear weapons, the agency's chief said on Tuesday, hours before nuclear talks between Tehran and six world powers were to begin in Baghdad.

"A decision was made to conclude and sign an agreement," IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said in Vienna upon returning from Tehran.

"We fully support (Iran's) efforts and those of the IAEA to try to resolve the outstanding issues," said US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia - plus Germany will attend the meeting in Baghdad, the second in a series of recent talks.

Iran says its nuclear programme is only intended to serve peaceful purposes, but the international community suspects the country is developing nuclear weapons based on the level of uranium enrichment it is now capable of.

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