By Sue Pleming
PALO ALTO, California (Reuters) - The United States willaggressively impose more sanctions on Iran as long as itrefuses to give up sensitive nuclear work and uses the world'sfinancial system for "terrorism," U.S. Secretary of StateCondoleezza Rice said on Thursday.
On a joint trip to California with British ForeignSecretary David Miliband, Rice told reporters the Bushadministration assessed "practically every day" whether to slapmore sanctions on Iran.
"We will continue to designate entities as we find themtrying to use the international financial system for ill-gottengains and, yes, we are going to continue to do it and we willcontinue to do it aggressively," said Rice.
"Iran should not be in a position of using the bankingsystem to pass profits made from terrorism or proliferation."
Iran has been subjected to three rounds of U.N. SecurityCouncil sanctions over its nuclear programme and in October,the United States designated the elite Qods military force ofIran's Revolutionary Guard a supporter of terrorism.
Washington also imposed sanctions on more than 20 Iraniancompanies, banks and individuals as well as the defenceministry, hoping to increase pressure on Tehran to stop uraniumenrichment and curb what the United States views as terroristactivities. Tehran denies the charges against it and says itsnuclear program is to produce energy.
Rice said Iran should expect more of these kinds ofsanctions but she declined to provide any timeline.
LACK OF TRANSPARENCY
Later, while on a tour of the Internet giant Google innearby Mountain View, Rice criticized Iran for its lack oftransparency with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, which is expectedto release a report on Iran's nuclear activities in the comingdays.
"If Iran has peaceful intent as they say, then they shouldhave no problem with the International Atomic Energy Agencyhaving complete and absolute and total access. The word that iscoming out is that that is not" the case, said Rice.
The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council --the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia -- andGermany are awaiting a green light from Iran for a meeting topresent a revised package of incentives to get Iran to stopenriching uranium.
The offer was first made to Tehran in 2006 to try to get itto give up uranium enrichment -- a process that can producefuel for nuclear power plants or atomic bombs -- for a range ofeconomic and diplomatic benefits. Details of the offer have notbeen made public.
Iran, which is the world's fourth-largest oil producer, hasturned down those proposals.
Rice said if Iran rejected the revised incentives package,it would face more sanctions at the United Nations.
However, the United States would face an uphill battle fromveto-wielding Security Council members China and Russia, whichoppose further punitive measures against Iran.
Miliband said Iran had an important choice and it mustaccept the consequences of its actions.
"We are making very clear to the world that this is achoice for Iran. Iran can see the outstretched hand from thewider world ready to cooperate economically and technologicallyand scientifically, but only if Iran respects itsresponsibilities," said Miliband.
(Editing by Frances Kerry and Jackie Frank)
