ARGENTINA ON REPORTING IRAN TO THE UNSC

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000317 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2016 TAGS: PARM KNNP IAEA AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINA ON REPORTING IRAN TO THE UNSC REF: STATE 19516 Classified By: Ambassador Lino Gutierrez, Reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) POLOFF delivered reftel points to Minister Ricardo Boccalandro, Deputy Director of the MFA's Office of International Security, Nuclear, and Space Issues (DIGAN) and Claudia Corti, who covers IAEA issues in the same office. POLOFF also e-mailed copies of the President's and Secretary's February 4 statements. SIPDIS ¶2. (C) Boccalandro asked if the U.S. intended to ask for sanctions, assuming that IAEA Director General's report to the March 6 IAEA Board of Governors meeting would be negative. POLOFF said that this would depend on Iranian actions over the next month, but that for the time being the U.S. was not asking for sanctions. Corti inquired whether it was the U.S. position that a "military option" remained on the table. POLOFF responded that U.S. policy has always been to keep all options on the table when confronting serious global security threats. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: Boccalandro, formerly in the MFA Office of International Organizations, is new to DIGAN and just becoming familiar with IAEA issues. However the new Director, Elsa Kelly, (who assumed her duties February 8) recently arrived from her post as Argentina's Ambassador to the IAEA. GUTIERREZ