Iran being undercut on nukes, U.S. says

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By Nicholas Kralev

Stung by criticism that the U.S. has not condemned Iran's crackdown on demonstrators harshly enough, the Obama administration said Monday that the protests would weaken the current regime and might improve the chances of capping Iran's nuclear program.

"Our long-term security interests haven't changed," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters. "Our interests, as it relates to our grave concern about the help that's provided to terrorists, the grave concern that we have about the pursuit of a nuclear weapon, remain unchanged."

At the State Department, spokesman Ian Kelly dismissed speculation that the administration is rethinking its engagement policy. Although the "focus is on what's going on in Iran right now" and "this is not about our bilateral relationship," engagement is not "on hold," he said.

"We have made a strategic decision to engage on a number of fronts with Iran, and we've tried many years of isolation, and we are pursuing a different path now," Mr. Kelly said.

The administration has been criticized by some Republicans and democracy advocates for continuing to seek talks with Iran despite its harsh treatment of demonstrators protesting what many Iranians perceive as a rigged outcome to the June 12 presidential elections.

Despite a massive security presence in the streets of Tehran on Monday, sporadic protests continued and supporters of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi have called for a nationwide strike on Tuesday. Violent clashes on Saturday left at least 10 dead, and at least seven died last week. Hundreds of reform politicians and journalists have been arrested.

President Obama has criticized Iran's behavior, but also said that Iranians must determine their own political future. On Monday, a senior administration official suggested a silver lining in Iran's political upheaval.

"The government's domestic political capital has been seriously eroded," said the official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the topic. "That may lead to willingness on their part to engage more."

Tehran has so far refused to join talks with the West on its controversial nuclear program, but in November, incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Mr. Obama on his election victory and has suggested at times that Iran would be willing to talk.

The U.S. administration had hoped that it would have an opportunity this week for direct interaction with Iranian officials, who were invited by Italy to a meeting on the sidelines of the gathering of foreign ministers from the Group of Eight leading industrialized countries in Trieste, northern Italy.