March 08, 2006
The secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, has urged the United States to cool down its rhetoric after US vice president Dick Cheney warned Tehran it could face military actions if it persisted in defying the international community through its nuclear program. In an TV interview, Annan also said that Tehran might use Washington's recent nuclear agreement with India to argue that western powers were relying on a double standard in seeking to limit Iran's nuclear ambitions. Cheney, speaking to Jewish lobbying association AIPAC on Tuesday, said the United States was keeping all options on the table in its determination to prevent Iran from developing nuclear arms. "The Iranian regime needs to know that if it stays on its present course, the international community is prepared to impose meaningful consequences," the vice president said. He spoke as the 35-nation governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency was meeting in Vienna to decide its next steps on Iran. Asked about Cheney's remarks, Annan noted that efforts were still under way to reach a negotiated settlement with Iran over the limits of its nuclear program. "We should all try to lower the rhetoric and allow for calm, serious discussion on this issue," he said.
Read about the WJC's compaign for international condemnation of President Ahmadinejad
