Mottaki Advises Clinton to Review Remarks on Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister on Thursday urged U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to study about peacefulness of Iran's nuclear program.

Manouchehr Mottaki was responding to Clinton's threat for "tougher sanctions" against Iran in case the 5 permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany nuclear talks with Iran were not conclusive.

"My advice to Clinton is to study about the peaceful activities of the Iranian nuclear program," Mottaki told reporters through a translator in Brussels after attending an international donors conference on Somalia. Reiterating Iran's nuclear activities are peaceful, he added Tehran is willing to resume talks with the West while being patient to see the development of the process.

Clinton cautioned ‘Israel's' right-wing government on Thursday that it risked losing "Arab support" for fighting any "threats from Iran" if it shuns Palestinian talks.

Signaling U.S. impatience with ‘Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reticence over settlement talks, Clinton said Arab nations had made clear to her that ‘Israel' must be committed to the so-called "Palestinian peace process" if it wants help countering Iran.

"For ‘Israel' to get the kind of strong support it is looking for vis-a-vis Iran, it can't stay on the sidelines with respect to the Palestinians and the peace efforts. They go hand in hand," she told the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee.

"They [Arab countries] believe that ‘Israel's' willingness to re-enter into discussions with the Palestinian Authority strengthens them in being able to deal with Iran," she added.

The secretary of state also reiterated American concerns over "Iran's nuclear efforts, Tehran's involvement in the domestic affairs of neighboring countries, and the support it offers terrorists." She added that while efforts to engage in dialogue with Iran continue, the US still works on potential sanctions against Tehran.