Rice spoke a day before the State Department's third-ranking diplomat, William Burns, is to attend a meeting in Switzerland with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. The US previously has shunned such gatherings, demanding that Iran first suspend its enrichment and reprocessing of uranium.
"It should be very clear to everyone that the United States has a condition for the beginning of negotiations with Iran, and that condition remains the verifiable suspension of Iran's enrichment and reprocessing activities," she told reporters at the State Department. "That remains the U.S. position and it will continue to be the U.S. position."
Burns will attend a meeting on Saturday with Jalili in Geneva, Switzerland at which Iran is expected to deliver its formal response to a package of incentives being offered it in exchange for the suspension.
