WASHINGTON
Reaching a deal on Iran’s nuclear program would not mean an automatic rapprochement between the U.S. and the Islamic republic, the State Department said Wednesday.
"Rapprochement would indicate or would suggest some broader warming of ties where we don't have serious concerns about human rights, about terrorism, about Syria, about Hezbollah," said Marie Harf, a department spokeswoman.
U.S. officials have voiced concerns about Iran’s human rights record as well as its ties to radical groups, particularly Hezbollah, which is listed by the U.S. as a terror group and sponsored by Iran throughout the Middle East.
Washington has also cited Iran's close relationship with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Harf said the Obama administration does not believe Iran would somehow change its policies in respect to these issues.
"We would have an agreement that would be a good thing if we could prevent them from getting the weapon, but it wouldn't mean that on all these other issues, our relationship with Iran would suddenly change," she said.
Harf's comments came hours after Secretary of State John Kerry announced that negotiations on a political framework for a deal between Iran and the P5+1 – the five permanent members of UN Security Council, plus Germany, will resume March 15.
Negotiators have until the end of March to agree on the framework before a final deal is reached by the end of June.
