The Obama Administration remains committed to reaching a "comprehensive and durable" deal through "diplomatic means," over Iran's nuclear activities, a senior US official at the forefront of the P5+1 negotiations with Iran said late on Thursday.
"Make no mistake. Our bottom line is unambiguous, crystal clear and, quite frankly, written in stone. Iran will not, shall not obtain a nuclear weapon," said Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman in remarks to a Washington think tank.
"We are aware, of course, that this negotiating process is, shall we say, controversial," she added. "Some worry that it will fail. Others seem to fear that it will succeed. Many have questions and doubts. As our discussions have gone forward, the Obama Administration has consulted regularly with members of Congress and with our many overseas partners, including Israel and the Gulf states." Sherman noted that while "these conversations have been and continue to be quite valuable," the decision by the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany "to fully explore a diplomatic solution is the right one." By November 24, the P5+1 countries intend to conclude a deal based on the Joint Plan of Action framework, developed in January, "that will effectively block all of Iran's potential paths to fissile material for a nuclear weapon," Sherman affirmed. "Such an arrangement would bar Iran from producing fuel for a weapon with either uranium or plutonium. Through inspections and monitoring, it would also offer the best method to prevent the covert processing of these materials, and make any effort by Tehran to turn away from its obligations so visible and so time consuming that the attempt would not succeed." Sherman stressed the P5+1 have "proposed to Iran a number of ideas that are equitable, enforceable, and consistent with Tehran's expressed desire for a viable civilian nuclear program, and that takes into account that country's scientific know-how and economic needs".