Friday, February 06, 2009

The New York Times, Washington, Jan. 4, 2009 (excerpts) – The Obama administration may take a tough line with Tehran in coming months even as it signals a willingness to move toward direct talks with Iranian officials, according to President Obama’s aides and outside experts who have consulted with the government about Iran.

While Mr. Obama is expected to soften the Bush administration’s line against talking to Iran, the aides said, he may also seek to toughen sanctions. Iran’s announcement on Tuesday that it launched its first satellite into orbit – a matter that Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, described as being of “acute concern to this administration” – may reinforce the impulse to get tough.

“This action does not convince us that Iran is acting responsibly to advance stability or security in the region,” Mr. Gibbs said, adding that the Obama administration “will use all elements of our national power to deal with Iran and to help it be a responsible member of the international community.”
Dennis B. Ross, the longtime Middle East peace negotiator who is expected to be named to a senior post handling Iran, has long argued that the United States must persuade America’s European allies to increase economic pressure against Iran. A Bipartisan Policy Center task force that included Mr. Ross issued a report in September saying that “the Europeans make war more likely if they do not strengthen sanctions against Iran and effectively end all commercial relations.”

Gary Samore, a former Clinton administration arms control negotiator who is expected to become Mr. Obama’s nonproliferation czar, has argued that any carrot offered to Iran should be accompanied by a bigger stick.