On his last stop in Asia, President Obama delivered a clear message to Iran and North Korea that they are staring at additional sanctions and further isolation if they don’t curb their nuclear activities.
From the South Korean capital, the President conducted a joint press conference with the host country’s president, Lee Myung-Bak. During the conference, President Obama took aim at Iran, whose leaders have evidently rejected an offer by the West to rid it of its stockpile of enriched uranium in exchange for fuel rods. It was hoped that such an agreement would afford all parties the time needed to conduct meaningful negotiations.
President Obama noted that “perhaps because they are stuck in some of their own rhetoric, they are unable to get to yes,” and in this case, “yes” being the removal of those enriched uranium stock which may be turned into an atomic weapon.
It appears President Obama is looking to move on the matter, and has indicated that his administration will be working with allies to develop what he calls a package of “potential steps” that can be taken to indicate to Iran that the United States means business.
President Obama also asserted that as far as North Korea is concerned, he won’t be satisfied with just getting back to the table for more talks. “I want to emphasize that President Lee and I both agree on the need to break the pattern that existed in the past,” explained President Obama, signaling that he was tired of the brinkmanship games that the North plays in order to extract concessions from the rest of the world.
