Secretary Rice’s announcement that the United States will join multilateral discussions with Tehran clearly indicates that we are willing to go the extra mile to ensure a peaceful solution to the international crisis that Iran has created. This is a test for Tehran, and the world will soon see whether Iran’s claims of peaceful intent ring true or hollow.
Iran must immediately halt all nuclear enrichment and related activities, and do so under international inspection, before any negotiation begins, and any diplomatic solution can only be built upon the permanent termination of all such activities.We must pursue a two-track approach – negotiate in good faith, but prepare tough political and economic sanctions if Iran again torpedoes a legitimate peaceful solution. While I sincerely hope that a successful diplomatic solution can be found, I urge the Senate to follow the House quickly and approve the Iran Freedom Support Act. The President should quickly sign this legislation and impose tough sanctions if these talks fail.