‘Progress made' as Iran nuclear talks deadline extended
Latest update : 2014-11-24
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian President Hassan Rohani said that progress had been made in the latest round of Iran nuclear talks, which were extended after diplomats in Vienna failed to reach a comprehensive deal by Monday’s deadline.
Speaking to reporters, Kerry said that “substantial progress” had been made towards reaching a final deal during the most recent round of talks but that negotiations would remain tough in the coming months.
“If we can [get a deal] sooner, we want to do it sooner,” Kerry said. “These talks are not going to get easier just because we extend them. They’re tough. They’ve been tough. And they’re going to stay tough.”
Kerry said that although some obstacles remained, now was not the time to walk away from negotiations with Iran.
Iranian President Hassan Rohani echoed Kerry’s comments, according to Iranian state television.
“During the talks in Vienna many gaps were narrowed, and our positions with the other side got closer,” he was quoted as saying.
Twelve-year dispute
Earlier in the day, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond announced that diplomats had failed to reach an agreement in the latest round of negotiations by a Monday deadline, adding that talks had been extended until June 30, 2015. Others set the deadline for July 1, 2015.
Iran and six powers – the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany – have been engaged in intense talks, the second round this year, to resolve a 12-year dispute over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
The group reached an interim deal, called the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), in Geneva a year ago, under which Tehran halted higher level uranium enrichment in exchange for a limited easing of sanctions, including access to some frozen oil revenues abroad.
The six world powers want Iran to scale back its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions. Tehran says it is not seeking nuclear weapons, but wants to produce atomic energy.
The Vienna talks, which are due to resume next month, aimed for a deal that could transform the Middle East, opening the door to ending economic sanctions on Iran and to start bringing a nation of 76 million people in from the cold after decades of hostility with the West.
Iran’s regional foes Israel and Saudi Arabia have been closely monitoring the talks, with the regional Sunni power and nuclear-armed Israel nervous about the security implications of the talks. Israel refuses to confirm or deny it has nuclear weapons, but is widely presumed to possess them.
Key sticking points
The main sticking points in the talks have been the scope of Iran's enrichment programme, the pace of lifting sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy and the duration of any deal.
So far, Western officials said Tehran has refused to budge on its demands to continue to operate most of its enrichment centrifuges currently in operation. Tehran blames the West for the deadlock, accusing it of making excessive demands on the Islamic Republic.
It became increasingly clear during a week of intensive negotiations between the top US and Iranian diplomats that what officials close to the talks had been predicting privately for weeks is proving to be correct: a final deal remains too far off to hammer out by the parties' self-imposed deadline.
Several Western officials have questioned the value of extending the talks again, saying there is little reason to expect the Iranians will show the flexibility needed to end the impasse in the weeks and months ahead. They have also questioned the Iranian leadership's desire to compromise.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)
Date created : 2014-11-24
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