“If really tough preferences get constructed in a further few days, made easily, we would choose deal soon, however if they probably are not made we can’t”, he was quoted saying in Vienna, in which discussions between Iran, the United States and five other capabilities are now being wedged.
Advertisement
Reaching a deal would be the most important milestone in decades towards alleviating hostility between the United States and Iran, enemies since Iranian revolutionaries captured 52 hostages in the USA embassy in Tehran in 1979.
The comments came after several hours of meetings in Vienna between Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and ahead of the expected arrival of their counterparts from Russian Federation, Britain, France, Germany and possibly China.
“All the cards are on the table”, added French Foreign minister Laurent Fabius, as he arrived back in Vienna for the final stretch with Tuesday’s deadline looming.
EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini agreed that the atmosphere at the talks was “constructive, positive”. […] We have never been closer, [but] at this point this negotiation could go either way.
Zarif said Friday that he was hopeful that a deal could be done “because I see [the] emergence of reason over illusion”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal would “pave Iran’s path to a nuclear arsenal”.
Speaking on the eve of an already-extended target date for a complete agreement, a senior Iranian official and a US official said Iran and the six world powers it is negotiating with are also working on a United Nations resolution that would endorse any future nuclear deal. “And when the time is right, we will all have more to say”, he added.
Addressing reporters, Kerry stressed that after nearly two years of negotiations and on the ninth day of these latest talks “genuine progress” had been made.
But disagreements persisted as the sides moved close to the new Tuesday deadline, and White House spokesman Josh Earnest said another extension was “certainly possible”. Under a new law, if the deal is reached after July 9 U.S. lawmakers will have 60 days to vote on it.
Iran, which wants global sanctions that have crippled its economy lifted in exchange, has always insisted that its nuclear work is peaceful.
Iran and 5 U.S. Security Council permanent members plus Germany pushed the 30 June deadline for a comprehensive deal to 7 July.
In parallel with the powers’ talks, delegates from the worldwide Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were due to hold talks with Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday, following a visit from IAEA chief Yukiya Amano last week.
Another obstacle in talks is Iran’s demand to be allowed to do research and development on advanced centrifuges that purify uranium for use as fuel in power plants or weapons.
Advertisement
Another complication to keep in mind is that if an accord is not presented to the US Congress by July 9th, the White House would have to make the call whether to push to finalize a deal later this summer and then submit it for a 60-day review, or to just throw in the towel and give up on the negotiations for now.
