Mark C. Toner
Deputy Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
November 9, 2011

Excerpts
MR. TONER: We’ve called it (IAEA report) one of the most comprehensive and detailed assessments of Iran’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons. And in fact, it scores – it raises, rather, further questions about the nature of Iran’s nuclear program.
It also demonstrates what the U.S. has known and made clear for years, which is that Iran did have a nuclear weapons program and has yet to provide any assurance that it has not abandoned its intent to develop nuclear weapons. So these are very serious allegations, serious charges, and it’s incumbent on Iran to at last engage with the IAEA in a credible and transparent manner to address these concerns.
I think going forward, we’re consulting with our partners and allies within the IAEA. As many of you know, there’s going to be a Board of Governors meeting, I think at the end of next week, where this will be addressed. And we’re going to look at a range of possibilities. We’ve said before that we believe the existing UN sanctions and Resolution 1929 puts in place some of the most stringent sanctions to date for Iran, and that they are having an economic impact on Iran. They are squeezing the Iranians’ economy. And what we’ve been working towards is reinforcing those, working with countries around the world to make sure that those sanctions are upheld and implemented to the fullest extent possible. And I think that as we move forward, we’re going to consult and certainly look at ways to impose additional pressure on Iran….
We’re consulting with our partners and allies on it. The conclusions that it draws are alarming. And moving forward, we’re very clear that we are looking at additional ways to apply pressure on Iran and that we’re going to work with our allies and partners in that regard, because, again, let’s be clear that the onus here is on Iran to address these questions, very serious questions raised by – not in America, not the United States, but the international community about the intent of its nuclear program.