US gives Iran time limit to accept rewards offer

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The United States warned Iran Friday that it will not have much time to respond once offered an international package of rewards designed to encourage Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment, suggesting that the window could close and be replaced by penalties if it doesn't act quickly. "It really needs to be within weeks," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told NBC television, referring to a response to a package of perks and penalties from six world powers aimed at halting Iran's enrichment activities. The package, agreed upon Thursday by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, carries the threat of UN sanctions if Tehran remains defiant over what the West calls a rogue nuclear program that could produce a bomb. A short statement issued Thursday night did not mention economic sanctions, but officials said privately that Iran could face tough Security Council sanctions if it refuses to give up uranium enrichment and other disputed nuclear activities, US officials said.