U.S. STATEMENT ON IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L MASERU 000258 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR NEA/IR E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/1/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV LT SUBJECT: U.S. STATEMENT ON IRAN REF: STATE 87682 CLASSIFIED BY: June Carter Perry, Ambassador, EXEC, STATE. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Ambassador discussed at length (6/01/06 due to late receipt of message) the U.S. position on Iran with Acting Foreign Minister Mrs. Mpeo Mahase (Minister of Employment and Labor). The A/FOMIN expressed her agreement with all points made and opined that Iran presented a "global threat." She indicated she would consult with the Acting Prime Minister on the matter concerning the request for a public statement of support and on encouraging Iran to suspend reprocessing activities per IAEA instructions and the UN Security Council's statement. ¶2. (C) In a separate May 30 conversation with Lesotho's Prime Minister (septel),Ambassador reviewed Iran's defiance of international standards. PM Mosisili stated that he believed he had not been briefed in depth by Foreign Minister Moleleki yet (particularly in reference to the NAM declaration),but also questioned why Iran was being singled out whereas other countries were not; especially India. Ambassador pointed out the validity of President Bush's recent agreement covering India and peaceful use of nuclear power by many large states, including South Africa. We pointed out Iran's threat not only to Israel and the Middle East, but to the world, and outlined the diplomatic steps taken by the IAEA and the UN concerning Iran.. Comment -------------- ¶3. (C) We believe the Prime Minister's stated lack of background on Iran may be true to some extent, but also note that Iran has presented credentials in Lesotho. The Foreign Minister (Moleleki) has been briefed in depth by us on a regular basis and has characterized the Iranian leadership as "crazy." Whether the FOMIN's statements of support for the international community's views were fully presented to the PM remains open to question. The Acting Foreign Minister may not be able to respond fully to our request for a public statement during the absence of both the PM and the FOMIN for another week. End Comment. PERRY