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Opinion: Obama news conference: Iran must decide whether to join world community

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President Obama, responding to the first question of his White House news conference today, said Iran will have to choose whether to abide by the norms expected of countries in the international community.

But noting the recent violence on the streets of Tehran and elsewhere in Iran, he said, “What we’ve seen in last few days is not encouraging.”

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He repeated what the administration has said before —t hat the U.S. respects the sovereignty of the Islamic republic and that it’s up to Iran to respond to efforts made to reach out to it.

One reporter asked if Iran should face any consequences for what’s been happening in the country.

Obama did not answer the question directly. He said the government in Tehran should understand that how it handles dissent will shape the tone for the Iran’s future and its relationship with other countries. He did not offer specifics.

-- Steve Padilla

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