U.S. rescues Iranians, assails nuke activity
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WASHINGTON -- A U.S. Coast Guard cutter rescued six Iranian mariners from a vessel in distress in the Persian Gulf, the second such incident in a week of tension punctuated by the Islamic republic's death sentence for a young Iranian-American man and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's sharp criticism Tuesday of Tehran's uranium enrichment activity.
The rescue was another reminder of U.S. efforts to demonstrate the humanitarian value of its naval presence in the Gulf, a strategic waterway that the Iranian government has threatened to close in retaliation for international sanctions over its nuclear program -- a dispute that only shows signs of escalation.
On Tuesday, Ms. Clinton condemned Iran for enriching uranium at an underground bunker to a level that can be upgraded more quickly for use in a nuclear weapon than the nation's main stockpile. She said Tehran was breaking its international obligations and demonstrating a "blatant disregard for its responsibilities."
Iran insists that its program is designed for energy and research purposes. But Ms. Clinton said "there is no plausible justification" for its decision to increase enrichment to 20 percent, which "brings Iran a significant step closer to having the capability to produce weapons-grade highly enriched uranium."
She urged Iran to halt its enrichment and return to negotiations. Several other countries condemned Iran's move, confirmed Monday by the U.N. nuclear agency. The enrichment level is higher than the 3.5 percent being made at Iran's main plant and can be turned into fissile warhead material faster and with less work.
Washington and Tehran are also at odds over an Iranian court's death sentence Monday for Amir Hekmati, 28, a former U.S. military translator born in Arizona who graduated from a Michigan high school but holds dual U.S. and Iranian citizenship.
First Published January 11, 2012 12:00 am
