I commend the United Nations Security Council for its adoption today of UN Security Council Resolution 1929, aimed at addressing the international community’s concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear program. Despite consistent and longstanding demands by the Council, Iran has not suspended its uranium enrichment and other proliferation-related activities that are in direct violation of its commitments to the IAEA and its obligations under the NPT.
This resolution sends an unambiguous signal to Iran that the international community holds it accountable for its actions. The measures in this resolution go well beyond the pre-existing sanctions on Iran. That said, we have worked hard to minimize their impact on the Iranian people. They target instead elements within the Iranian government, with the aim of changing the leadership’s calculations.
Effective implementation is critical. I am pleased that Robert J. Einhorn, the State Department’s Special Advisor for Nonproliferation and Arms Control, will serve as the U.S. coordinator for the implementation and amplification of sanctions related to Iran, to ensure the best enforcement of this resolution, as well as previous sanctions. He will take on these new responsibilities while continuing to serve as Special Advisor.
Resolution 1929, like the resolutions before it, offers Iran a clear path toward the immediate suspension of these sanctions. We will continue to respect Iran’s rights to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. But we have consistently said that with these rights come responsibilities: Iran must fulfill its international obligations, suspend its enrichment and reprocessing activities, and meet the requirements of the IAEA. I reaffirm the United States’ commitment to engage in principled diplomacy to remove all doubts about Iran’s nuclear program.
As was noted in the statement by the P5+1 Foreign Ministers earlier today, the adoption of Resolution 1929 keeps the door open for continued engagement between the P5+1 and Iran. The United States is committed to a diplomatic solution to the challenge posed by Iran's nuclear program and we hope the Council's adoption of this resolution will make clear to Iran’s leaders the choice that is before them: how much they have to gain from real engagement with the international community, and how much more they stand to lose from continuing down their current path.
