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Iran Talks Called Substantive; More Discussions Scheduled Iran Talks Called Substantive; More Discussions Scheduled
(about 2 hours later)
GENEVA — Iran and a group of six world powers said on Wednesday that they had engaged in “substantive” and “forward-looking” discussions on the disputed Iranian nuclear program and that they would reconvene in early November. GENEVA — Iran and a group of six world powers said Wednesday that they had engaged in “substantive” and “forward-looking” discussions on the disputed Iranian nuclear program and that they would meet again in early November.
The account of the two days of talks in Geneva came in a rare joint statement from Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and Catherine Ashton, the foreign policy chief for the European Union, who is the lead negotiator with Iran.The account of the two days of talks in Geneva came in a rare joint statement from Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and Catherine Ashton, the foreign policy chief for the European Union, who is the lead negotiator with Iran.
Representatives from the two sides are to meet again in Geneva for talks on Nov. 7 and 8. Nuclear and sanctions experts from the two sides are to meet before then to discuss technical issues. “I’ve been doing this now for about two years, and I have never had such intense, detailed, straightforward, candid conversations with the Iranian delegation before,” said a senior Obama administration official.
The meeting was the first between Iran and the six powers since the new Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, took office in August and vowed to resolve longstanding concerns about the Iranian nuclear program, which Iran says is peaceful but many nations suspect is a guise for developing the ability to make weapons. “There is more work, much more work to do,” added the official, who declined to be identified under the diplomatic protocol for briefing reporters. “This is a beginning. Beginnings are rarely groundbreaking because you are putting pieces on the table.”
In a news conference, Mr. Zarif said that the meeting had been “fruitful” and would “hopefully be the beginning of a new phase in our relationship.” He said that he hoped the West would take a “balanced” approach, an apparent allusion to Iranian demands for an easing of the tough economic sanctions that have hurt Iran. Representatives from the two sides are to meet again in Geneva for talks on Nov. 7 and 8. Nuclear and sanctions experts from the two sides are to meet before then.
Neither Western nor Iranian officials provided any concrete examples of measures that might have been agreed upon. Nor did Iran say it had taken any steps to pause its program to enrich uranium or expand its nuclear infrastructure. The meeting was the first between Iran and the six powers since the new Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, took office in August and vowed to resolve longstanding concerns about the country’s nuclear program, which Iran says is peaceful but which many nations suspect is a guise for developing the ability to make weapons.
Mr. Zarif stated that Iran planned to continue with its nuclear enrichment program while trying assuage Western concerns. But he declined to say whether or when Iran might accept extensive monitoring provided for by an protocol that allows inspections to be carried out when prohibited activity is suspected. For all of the talk of beginning a new phase in Iran’s relationship with the West, as Mr. Zarif put it in a news conference here, neither side announced any diplomatic breakthroughs that would facilitate a comprehensive agreement or even short-term measures to build trust between the two sides.
Earlier, before the discussions had officially adjourned, Mr. Zarif had signaled that both sides would meet again soon. In an appearance two weeks ago before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Wendy Sherman, the State Department official who led the American delegation here, sought to head off a Congressional move to impose tougher economic sanctions on Iran by vowing to seek a “freeze” of the country’s nuclear program so the Iranians could not use the negotiations as a cover to make further advances.
“The talks will continue in a few weeks in Geneva and during this period the members of the P5+1 will have a chance to acquire the necessary readiness regarding the details of Iran’s plans and the steps that they must take,” the foreign minister wrote on his Facebook page. Mr. Zarif, however, provided no indication on Wednesday that Iran had agreed to suspend any nuclear activities during the talks here with what are known as the P5-plus-1 countries, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — and Germany. The senior Obama administration official declined to discuss the issue.
Mr. Zarif was referring to the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — plus Germany, the six big powers who have engaged in on-again, off-again talks with Iran for years. As the two sides look toward the next round of talks, an array of thorny issues remain. Iran has insisted that the West acknowledge its “right” to enrich uranium as part of a negotiated compromise that put limits on its nuclear program, a step the Americans here did not publicly take.
There was no indication of any breakthrough, and the United States has repeatedly said that it was important for Iran to take steps to pause or even reverse its nuclear program while negotiations continue. Iran’s willingness to allow intrusive inspections is also unclear. Its deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, suggested that Tehran would eventually accept a verification protocol that allowed inspectors access to any site where they thought proscribed activity was taking place. But Mr. Zarif suggested that type of protocol ran counter to Iranian law.
Iran has sought assurances that it would have the right to enrich uranium as part of any comprehensive agreement and has pressed for the removal of sanctions on its banking, oil and other industries, which have deeply hurt its economy. Another major issue for the next round is how fast to ease economic sanctions that have battered the Iranian economy. Mr. Zarif emphasized that he hoped the West would take a “balanced” approach, an apparent allusion to Iranian demands for a quick easing of tough sanctions. In contrast, American officials have said they want to maintain major sanctions until all of the United States’ top demands are met.
Mr. Zarif’s Facebook message appeared to be signaling that Tehran believed there were steps the West needed to take for the negotiations to be productive. Striking a balance between Iran’s demand for relief and the United States’ desire to constrain the Iranian program will not be easy. Given advances in Iran’s nuclear program, some experts say, it is no longer sufficient for Iran to agree to a moratorium on the enrichment of uranium to 20 percent for some sanctions to be eased — a step Iran’s Fars News Agency reported Tehran was willing to take for six months. Rather, they say, limitations should also be imposed on the number of centrifuge machines Iran can possess and Iran should stop work on a plant that would produce plutonium, which also can be used in a weapon.
During their visit to the United Nations last month, both Mr. Rouhani and Mr. Zarif repeatedly emphasized Iran’s eagerness to move forward on the nuclear issue. But they have also said the country must be allowed to enrich its own nuclear fuel, a right it claims as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. “I do think that there is some convergence this round on the idea of having near-term, interim measures in place while negotiations go forward on the details of a comprehensive deal,” said Robert Einhorn, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who has served at the State Department as a senior adviser on proliferation issues.
The Obama administration has welcomed the change in tone from Iran, but it has remained cautious about any possible deal. Iran’s critics have repeatedly contended that the country has a history of delaying and obfuscation over the nuclear issue and in the past few years has greatly expanded its ability to enrich uranium. “A key challenge will be to reach agreement on an interim measure that balances the P5-plus-1 desire to halt advances in Iran’s nuclear program with Iran’s desire for early sanctions relief,” he added. Despite the many obstacles, American officials highlighted the positive tone of the meeting just ended, saying that the United States team had offered friendly advice to Mr. Zarif about how to deal with the back pain that plagued him this week.
On Tuesday, speaking in English and using PowerPoint, Mr. Zarif outlined a proposal to the representatives of the big powers that would constrain his country’s nuclear program in return for an acknowledgment of the right to enrich uranium and an easing of the sanctions. Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, who participated in the talks here, was more skeptical, telling the Russian news agency Interfax that the two sides were still “kilometers apart” and that the talks here had been “difficult, at times tense, at times unpredictable.”
After the discussions, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, and his team met for about an hour at the United Nations headquarters here with the American delegation, led by Wendy Sherman, a senior State Department official. The substance was not disclosed, but the meeting itself was unusual. Another challenge for the United States is reassuring allied nations that the Obama administration will not make risky concessions. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to talk soon with his Saudi counterpart about the negotiations with Iran. And Israeli officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would raise his concerns over talks on Iran’s program in a meeting with Mr. Kerry next week in Rome.
The proposal presented by Mr. Zarif called for “an end to an unnecessary crisis and a start for new horizons,” according to Iranian officials. Without tangible results, it may not be easy for the Obama administration to maintain Congressional support for its negotiating strategy. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have argued for keeping tough sanctions on Iran in place until its capacity to make nuclear weapons is severely constrained.

Rick Gladstone contributed reporting from New York.