TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has advised U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to avoid “useless slogans” against Iran as used during the Bush administration.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Mottaki said, “We advise Clinton to be realistic and avoid using useless slogans used during the Bush era.”
The response by Mottaki came after Clinton said the United States favors a two-track approach of negotiations and the threat of punishment.
“In the absence of any significant progress, we will be seeking to rally international opinion behind additional sanctions,” Clinton said at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday.
Mottaki said, “Approaches such as duel track are models which have lost their color and efficiency.”
“Clinton’s position runs contrary to the ongoing realities and the outcomes of the Geneva talks,” Iran’s top diplomat added.
Negotiators from Iran and the 5+1 group (France, the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and Germany) gathered in Geneva to discuss Iran’s updated package of proposals on October 1. The two sides assessed the talks as positive. Iran and the 5+1 have agreed to meet again by the end of October.
In her talks with Lavrov on Tuesday, Clinton failed to win Russia’s agreement for new sanctions against Iran.
Lavrov said that the talks in Geneva between Iran and other countries had raised hopes for a diplomatic solution, and that it made no sense to discuss sanctions as long as those negotiations were under way.
“Threats, sanctions, and threats of pressure in the current situation, we are convinced, would be counterproductive,” Lavrov explained.
Mottaki also said, “Iran’s proposed package and what was achieved during the Geneva talks” can create “new grounds for justice and constructive dialogue” by the negotiating partners