Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Obama pressures Iran over deal: Time is running out,accept deal or face consequences

President Obama pushed Sunday for continued pressure on Iran and its nuclear program. Appearing with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Obama said "we are now running out of time" for Iran to sign on to a deal to ship its enriched uranium out of the country for further processing.

"Unfortunately, so far it appears Iran has been unable to say yes," to the proposal on uranium reprocessing, Obama said.

"We have to continue to maintain urgency and our previous discussions, confirming the need for a dual-track approach, are still the right approach to take. We will begin to discuss and prepare for these other pathways," Obama said.

Medvedev said he remains hopeful the negotiations can lead to "positive result," but that, "In case we fail, other options remain on the table."

Appearing alongside China's leader on Tuesday Obama continues pressure on Iran: "We agreed that the Islamic Republic of Iran must provide assurance to the international community that its nuclear program is peaceful and transparent," Obama said at the news conference.

"Iran has an opportunity to present and demonstrate its peaceful intentions but if it fails to take advantage of this opportunity it will face consequences."