Clinton: Iran Nuke Disclosure ‘Sharpens Our Sense of Urgency’

In New York, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gave the press a brief reaction to news of Iran’s concealed and still-under-construction nuclear facility near Qom:

This is further evidence of Iran’s continued defiance of IAEA and the United Nations obligations. Iran is breaking rules that all nations are expected to follow, and we fully support an immediate IAEA investigation. We remain committed to the October 1st meeting of the P-5+1, and we are encouraged by the work that was done this week here in New York, the very important statement that was agreed to by all members of the P-5+1, including China and Russia, and of course, the European Union as well, setting forth what we expected out of these negotiations.

The nuclear program was on the table before. It is on the table with increased urgency now. And this revelation that has been shared with the world makes clear, we hope, to those who have either not formed an opinion or doubted the necessity of the dual-track approach we are pursuing to work with us. This is now a clear challenge to the international community because this facility sharpens our sense of urgency, it underscores Iran’s absolute need to engage seriously with us on October 1st, and take immediate steps to demonstrate the exclusively peaceful nature of their nuclear program, which they have been claiming despite growing evidence to the contrary. So we are very clear and very resolved about what we are attempting to accomplish here.

Clinton declined to answer a question on next steps if Iran’s disclosure is considered incomplete, but said that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent behavior at the U.N. indicated “attitudes and approaches that are really at variance with almost universal principles and understanding of historical reality.” She said today’s news was an “incredibly important disclosure that the world needs to digest.”