White House: Nuke talks ‘appropriate’ despite arms bust

WASHINGTON — Negotiations with Iran will continue as planned, even after the discovery of a weapons-laden ship traveling to Gaza from Iran, White House officials said Wednesday. While acknowledging that Iran is a major state sponsor of terrorism and implying that the US had also been willing to take action against the ship, White House Spokesman Jay Carney said that talks were still “appropriate” to try to reach a deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program.

“Even as we continue efforts to resolve our concerns over Iran’s nuclear program through diplomacy, we will continue to stand up to Iran’s support for destabilizing activities in the region, in coordination with our partners and allies, and made clear that these illicit actions are unacceptable to the international community and in gross violation of Iran’s UN Security Council obligations,” Carney told reporters Wednesday.