White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs holds a news briefing
Posted on: January 8, 2010

October 1st, 2009

Key Quotes:

On if there is a timeline to take additional steps on Iran if talks stall

“ I think by the end of the year. As the president said, this is a situation that will be dealt with. It’ll either be dealt with the Iranians choosing to take a path toward responsibility or it will be dealt with collectively with the international community.”

On the next meeting

“Watching Javier Solana’s comment, I believe there will be a meeting before the end of October, but I don’t — from what I saw, that date has not yet been announced.”

On the P5+1 meeting with Iran and giving Iran more time to come clean on their nuclear program

“let’s understand what the Iranians have initially agreed to, and that is full compliance and transparency around the facility at Fordo (ph), which, as you know, was publicly disclosed less than a week ago, a facility that had been long under construction and long in violation of IAEA rules.

No one ever suspected or believed that this issue was going to be finished with or dealt with after one meeting.

I do believe that today’s meeting was a constructive beginning to this process, understanding that the onus remains on the Iranians, as it did prior to the meeting, to live up to what they promised today and to live up to their continued international obligations to provide confidence to the international community that what they’re undertaking is for peaceful means, not for a weapons program.

Again, we believe it was a constructive start. The onus continues to be on the Iranians to live up to their obligations.”

On next steps with Iran, re: sanctions & the Bayh legislation

“As the president said last week when he and other leaders discussed the facility at Qom that — that if they didn’t address this, if they didn’t live up to their responsibilities, then we’d take action.

I think I wouldn’t pull anything off the table. We want to work, and have worked collectively with our P-5-plus-1 partners to get to this point. I think we’ve made progress. And we’ll continue to make plans for what might happen if the Iranians don’t live up to their obligations.”

On the administration’s opinion on a follow up meeting with Iran at the end of October

“we do know, from his comments, that the agenda is on the nuclear program. And I think, again, that’s progress from what we had heard weeks ago and even a week ago, that the Iranians were not going to discuss their nuclear program.

… we’re not going to talk this issue to death. The Iranians are going to have to take responsibility, demonstrate their actions mean something. And if we or others in the P-5-plus-1 don’t get the feeling that they are, then we’ll take steps.”

On if the time frame for inspection on the second site is a deadline for the U.S. or if talks will continue

“they would not be living up to those obligations. Then we’d move to the next thing.

… this is not an issue that’s going to be talked to death. This is not an issue that is going to go years and years and years or even months and months and months.”

On the Burns – Jalili bilateral talks

“ understand that Mr. Burns outlined again for the Iranians the case that the P-5-plus-1 outlined to the broader group earlier in the day, and reiterated to them that the responsibilities that they have — there was — Mr. Burns brought up the issue of human rights. And I think, again, this — this can be productive if, and only if the Iranians decide to live up to those responsibilities.

At a point in which they make the decision not to, then I think not only will America know but the world will know that they’re not interested in dealing with this on the level.”

Excerpts:

On the Iranians failing to indicate if they will change their behavior re: second nuclear facility

“… we seem to have spent some quality time talking about their nuclear program today. …

this is not talk for talk’s sake. If at any point this appears to simply be the Iranians trying to talk some issue to death, then I think, working in concert with and common purpose with our P-5-plus-1 partners, we’ll take additional steps to ensure that Iran knows we mean business …”

On if the administration believes that Iran has disclosed all of their nuclear facilities

“I’ll let the IAEA deal with that, and not get into any of those matters, and expect that Iran, again, will live up to what they promised to do at the table here today.”

On Jhalili saying that other issues are central to the talks

“ I think the point of these conversations is clearly about Iran’s nuclear program. That’s the team from the P-5-plus-1 spent that time talking to the Iranians about. And that’s what we expect concrete action to follow on promises that they made.”

“ I think the Iranians know the responsibilities that they have to live up to, and now we expect them to take the steps that they agreed to with the IAEA today.”

On the role of gasoline in the P5+1 talks

“… the administration and with the P-5-plus-1 are looking at the possible next steps.

But I’m not going to get into the pluses and minuses of — of individual aspects of what might be involved in potential international sanctions.”