Doha, February 15: The United States declared on Sunday it saw few alternatives to more sanctions on Iran, saying it sought a peaceful end to a nuclear standoff but did not want to engage diplomatically “while they are building their bomb”.
With military experts warning of the risks of any military action, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Iran to reconsider ‘dangerous policy decisions’ on its nuclear programme.
“Iran leaves the international community little choice but to impose greater costs for its provocative steps,” Clinton told a US-Islamic World Forum in Qatar.
“I would like to figure out a way to handle it in as peaceful an approach possible, and I certainly welcome any meaningful engagement, but … we don’t want to be engaging while they are building their bomb,” Clinton said.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that Iran was now able to enrich uranium to more than 80 per cent purity, close to levels experts say would be needed for a nuclear bomb, although he denied it had any such intention.
–Agencies