VIENNA: The six world powers seeking to negotiate an historic agreement with Iran to curb its nuclear programme plan to carry on negotiating beyond a Tuesday deadline, a senior US official said on Sunday. Iran’s overseas minister is getting ready to head house for consultations earlier than returning to push for a breakthrough.
Iranian media said Mohammed Javad Zarif’s trip was planned in advance.
But any deal must stand up to intense scrutiny by hardliners in Iran and the United States, as well as Iran’s regional rivals Israel, widely assumed to have nuclear weapons itself, and Saudi Arabia.
Diplomats have generally predicted that a deal will be reached, though they have said more tough compromises remain necessary.
Fabius, who met separately with both Zarif and Kerry, stressed there must be “a lasting limitation of Iran’s nuclear capacities in research and production” as well as rigorous inspection of military sites, and a mechanism to quickly reimpose sanctions.
With diplomatic pressure growing, other ministers from Britain, China, Germany and Russian Federation are due to follow Mogherini to Vienna over the coming days.
Highlighting how much work remains in the nuclear negotiations, British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond said on arrival in Vienna that major challenges remained, including on the parameters already agreed in April in Lausanne, Switzerland. Officials have said they would need a few days to prepare the documents for review.
In November, the seven nations involved in the talks set a late March deadline for a framework agreement, which they ultimately reached on April 2, and a June 30 deadline for a comprehensive deal.
A senior USA official at the talks in Vienna wouldn’t say there was no chance of nailing down the accord by Tuesday, but admitted “it’s fair to say the parties are planning to stay past (June 30th) to keep negotiating”.
“Iran would remain isolated”.
But the P5+1 powers leading the talks - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russian Federation and the United States - are insisting sanctions should only be lifted progressively as Iran takes steps to reduce the capabilities of its suspect nuclear programme.
“Some of the solutions found in Lausanne no longer work, because after Lausanne certain countries within the P5+1 made declarations… and we see a change in their position which complicates the task”, he told Al-Alam television. I think everybody would like to see an agreement.
It is hoped a deal would end a standoff dating back to 2002 which has threatened to escalate into war and poisoned Tehran’s relations with the outside world.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one of the biggest critics of the US policy of engaging with Iran, said too many concessions were being made to Tehran.
“In recent days it has become obvious that when it comes to the question of how… we can be sure that what we agree really is adhered to, there has been some discussion”, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.
Contrary to public posturing on the timing and pace of sanctions relief, a framework for handling this critical matter of the nuclear deal has been resolved, according to Iranian sources.
