Obama Renews Criticism of Iran in Wake of Violence
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WASHINGTON --President Barack Obama on Friday again condemned the Iranian government's violent attacks on demonstrators, but said it's too soon to say whether those actions will hinder U.S.-Iran talks aimed at halting Iran's development of nuclear weaponry.
"We are still waiting to see how the situation in Iran plays out," Mr. Obama said in response to questions at a joint White House press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Mr. Obama reiterated his view that Iran's government is violating "international norms" in its brutal response to peaceful demonstrators, and that "what's happened in Iran is unacceptable."
While he condemned the Iranian government's actions, Mr. Obama said "we don't yet know" how they might affect talks with the U.S. on Iran's nuclear program.
Iran is developing nuclear power at a brisk pace and Mr. Obama said its emergence as a nuclear power would be a big problem both for the U.S. and for security in the Middle East. He acknowledged "the clock is ticking," and said he expects continued multilateral discussions with Iran regarding its nuclear program, even if prospects for direct talks between the U.S. and Iran are unclear.
Asked about an upsurge of violence in Iraq, Mr. Obama predicted "there will continue to be some violence in Iraq for some time," and that U.S. military casualties there are always a cause for concern. He said that despite such attacks, the overall security in Iraq is improving and that the bigger challenge for Iraq is to peacefully resolve issues that split its political and religious factions.
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