Kerry says Iran must come clean on nuclear program

Washington (CNN) -- Sen. John Kerry, the president's nominee for secretary of state, put America's anxiety over Iran front and center during his confirmation hearing, saying the "questions surrounding Iran's nuclear program" must be resolved.

"The president has made it definitive," Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday during what is expected to be an easy confirmation process.

"We will do what we must do to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and I repeat here today, our policy is not containment. It is prevention, and the clock is ticking on our efforts to secure responsible compliance."

There are sanctions and they are working, he said, noting Iran's currency, the rial, has dropped, and other nations have been cooperating in reducing dependence on Iranian oil.

He said there is hope that progress can be made on the diplomatic front with Iran, which says its nuclear aspirations are solely peaceful. World powers believe Iran wants to build nuclear weapons.

"Iranians need to understand that there's no other agenda here," he said. "If their program is peaceful, they can prove it. And that's what we are seeking."

The longtime Massachusetts senator was asked about and addressed a wide range of issues before the committee, a panel he chaired for the past four years.

Regarding the Arab Spring, he cited the self-immolation of a Tunisian fruit vendor that triggered the first uprising and the revolt in Cairo's Tahrir Square as examples of ferment.

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