Kerry: ‘Difficult issues to resolve’ on Iran deal
Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday said progress remains slow on reaching a final agreement with Iran over its nuclear arms research.
“[We] still have difficult issues to resolve,” Kerry tweeted from ongoing talks in Vienna.
Kerry’s Twitter post also notes he met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, on Saturday morning.
{mosads}His admission is the latest setback in diplomatic wrangling over a permanent Iran accord that was originally due June 30.
Negotiators announced Friday that they are extending the talks until Monday in another attempt at striking an agreeable bargain — the latest in a series of deadline extensions.
“To allow for the additional time to negotiate, we are taking the necessary technical steps for the measures of the [interim nuclear deal] to remain in place through July 13,” a senior State Department official said Friday in Vienna.
Kerry is leading the U.S. and its allies at the negotiating table. Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia are assisting American diplomats in ongoing talks with their Iranian counterparts.
The West is hoping Iran will slow or stop its pursuit of nuclear weapons in exchange for economic sanctions relief.
President Obama has long argued diplomacy is the best means for halting Iran’s nuclear ambitions. He has made a lasting Iran deal a central focus of his final term’s foreign policy initiatives.
The two sides have wrestled with multiple sticking points, including the frequency of nuclear energy inspections and the pace of sanctions relief.
Iran presented the latest obstacle this week by demanding the end of a United Nations embargo on its conventional weapons purchases.
The U.S. opposes the idea, but Russia has backed it, creating a rift among the so-called P5+1 allies.
Zarif accused America of shifting its stance on parts of the agreement Friday.
“This situation has made the work difficult,” he said on Iranian state television, according to The Associated Press.
Kerry warned Thursday that the Obama administration is willing to abandon any unproductive talks.
“As I have said many times, and as I discussed with President Obama last night, we are not going to sit at the negotiating table forever,” he said.
“We also recognize that we shouldn’t get up and leave simply because the clock strikes midnight.”
Kerry declined to offer a timetable for a final agreement, raising the possibility of indefinite talks on a final pact.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Log Reg
NOW PLAYING
