Rice Signals Iran Risks U.N. Sanctions

Anne Gearan, Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is signaling that Iran must move quickly to accept economic incentives to abandon its suspected nuclear arms development program or risk harsh U.N. sanctions. ...

"I'm pleased that we are speaking with one voice with our European friends," President Bush said during a trip to Shreveport, La. "I look forward to working with our European friends to make it abundantly clear to the Iranian regime that the free world will not tolerate them having a nuclear weapon." ...

Rice said there is no timetable for negotiations, but added, "This has been going on for some time."

"I would think that if the Iranians are going to demonstrate that they are prepared to live up to their obligations, that they would want to do that sooner rather than later," she told reporters after meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk.

"The Iranians need to take the opportunity that the Europeans are presenting them," Rice said. ...