Obama: Iran Must Face Responsibilities Over Nuclear Issue

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Sept. 26, 2009 - Iran's leaders must come clean with the international community about evidence that Iran has been secretly constructing another nuclear-fuel processing plant, President Barack Obama said today in his weekly address. "This week, we joined with the United Kingdom and France in presenting evidence that Iran has been building a secret nuclear facility to enrich uranium," Obama said in his address. "This is a serious challenge to the global nonproliferation regime, and continues a disturbing pattern of Iranian evasion."

Revelations about Iran's actions, Obama said, make more urgent the slated Oct. 1 negotiations in Geneva between Iran and the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany.

Yesterday at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh, Obama, accompanied by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, stated that the day before in Vienna, the United States, the United Kingdom and France had "presented detailed evidence to the IAEA demonstrating that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been building a covert uranium enrichment facility near Qom for several years."

Iran already has a uranium processing plant in Natanz.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, based in Vienna, is a U.N.-sponsored organization that cooperates with its member states and partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies.

The United States and other members of the international community suspect that Iran is processing nuclear fuel to be used to construct nuclear weapons.

In his address today, Obama said he's still open to "meaningful dialogue" to resolve the Iran nuclear issue.

"But, Iran must cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency," Obama said, "and take action to demonstrate its peaceful intentions."

Iran's leaders must make a decision, he said.

"Iran's leaders must now choose – they can live up to their responsibilities and achieve integration with the community of nations," Obama said. "Or, they will face increased pressure and isolation, and deny opportunity to their own people."