New Monday deadline for Iran deal
July 11, 2015
The United States and Iran both threatened to walk away from negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program as talks continued in Vienna on Saturday.
Iran and six world powers - the United States, Britain, Russia, France, China and Germany - have given themselves until Monday to reach a deal that would see international sanctions lifted in return for curbs on Iranian nuclear ambitions.
Mixed signals
The extra time marks the third extension in two weeks amid Iranian claims that world powers are making "excessive demands" from different positions. The current round of talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 was originally due to end on June 30.
On Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry suggested that some progress had been made, telling reporters that the "atmosphere is very constructive," but stressing that "very difficult issues" remained.
Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, have met almost every day during what was supposed to the final phase of negotiations. But diplomats have described a shouting match between Kerry and Zarif that has apparently stalled progress.
The talks remain controversial with some analysts accusing the West of letting Iran off lightly while others say a deal can only be a positive step towards peace in the Middle East.
The main hurdles
An agreement on the timetable for lifting sanctions on Iran has prevented a breakthrough and the repeated delays now mean that the US Congress, which has to review the deal, will need 60 instead of 30 days to give its approval.
Another sticking point is the scope of United Nations inspections of Iran's nuclear sites. Tehran warns that unrestricted monitoring could be a cover for Western spying, the United States, however, has insisted on thorough access.
The lifting of a UN arms embargo on Iran has been ruled out by the US while Russia, which sells weapons to Iran, has publicly supported Tehran on that point.
The international sanctions were initiated after the West accused Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons, hidden behind a civilian atomic energy program. Iran strongly denies the claim, saying its nuclear program serves purely civilian purposes.
An Iranian official told the AFP news agency the talks could stretch on and on, adding "We have no time-limit in order to reach a good deal."
mm/sms (AFP, dpa, Reuters)