Ahmadinejad softens tone after US report

Intelligence study a 'step forward,' Iran leader says

December 12, 2007|Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press

TEHRAN - Iran's president took an unusually soft tone toward the United States yesterday, saying a new US intelligence report marks an opportunity to resolve US-Iranian differences. But he said Washington must take further steps, including dropping nuclear sanctions.

The conciliatory line appeared aimed at deflecting Washington's attempts to win further sanctions against Iran and bringing the United States into negotiations after the intelligence report found that Tehran ended a nuclear weapons program four years ago.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may also be trying to fend off critics at home who have accused him of provoking Iran's enemies with his fiery rhetoric. Ahead of Ahmadinejad's news conference, one of his top critics - Hasan Rowhani, a former nuclear negotiator and a powerful figure in Iran's leadership - made his harshest criticism yet of the president, saying his government had failed on foreign policy.

The United States brushed off Ahmadinejad's comments, saying Iran must abide by UN demands that it suspend uranium enrichment.

"We totally agree with the Iranian president. One or two more steps are needed. Let's start with Iran suspending its uranium enrichment process," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

He also said Iran should halt its support for militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, "and then we can go from there."

Yesterday, diplomats from the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany held a 90-minute conference call to discuss a draft plan for new sanctions, but State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said it was still too early to talk about an agreement. Russia and China were questioning the need for sanctions even before the US intelligence report.

President Bush insisted that "Iran is dangerous," pointing to the report's conclusion that Tehran once was seeking a nuclear weapon. "Iran must explain to the world why they had such a program," he said.

The US intelligence assessment, released last week, found that Iran ended a program to develop a nuclear weapon in 2003 and does not appear to have resumed it since. Tehran insists its nuclear activities aim only to generate electricity.

Ahmadinejad offered little new substance in his comments yesterday - but he avoided the inflammatory rhetoric that he has often used in the past toward Washington. Instead, he held out promise that Iran and the United States could end their numerous disputes, even over Israel, Iran's top enemy in the region.

Ahmadinejad praised the US intelligence report, calling it "a step forward."