This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/22/world/europe/iran-nuclear-talks.html

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 5 Version 6
Kerry and Iran Counterpart Scrambling as Monday Deadline Looms in Nuclear Talks Brinkmanship Heightens as Deadline to Reach a Nuclear Agreement Looms
(about 5 hours later)
VIENNA — Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, canceled plans to leave the nuclear negotiations here Friday following marathon talks that lasted into the night. VIENNA — With only three days to go before a deadline to reach a nuclear accord to constrain Iran’s nuclear program, the talks here appeared to be marked by a heavy dose of brinkmanship on Friday as Iran’s top negotiator made clear he was leaving for Tehran to consult with the country’s leadership — only to reverse himself later in the day.
Iranian news agencies had reported that Mr. Zarif, the chief negotiator in the negotiations, was returning to Tehran to seek further instructions, as negotiators struggled to meet a Monday deadline for an accord. Iranian news agencies had reported that Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, was returning to Tehran to seek further instructions. The State Department spokeswoman announced soon afterward that Secretary of State John Kerry would be leaving for Paris, where he would confer with European officials and stay in touch with Obama administration officials in Washington.
The State Department announced soon afterward that Secretary of State John Kerry also was leaving, and Western diplomats said he would return when Mr. Zarif returned. But the departures of both were delayed as Mr. Kerry met Friday night with Mr. Zarif for the third time in two days. Catherine Ashton, the envoy to the talks from the European Union, was expected to join the meeting. But Mr. Zarif later deferred his plans, telling Iran’s official IRNA news agency that “there were no remarkable offers and ideas to take to Tehran.” And that led Mr. Kerry to shelve his plan to leave, too.
“Secretary Kerry has delayed his departure from Vienna, Austria, in order to continue consultations with Foreign Minister Zarif, Baroness Ashton and the P5+1,” said Jen Psaki, the State Department spokeswoman, using the acronym for the six world powers that are negotiating with Iran. American and European officials vowed to press on, and more high-level negotiating sessions were expected on Saturday. Yet the difficulties in the talks suggested it was unlikely that any agreement that might be announced on Monday would be a complete one and increasingly likely that an extension in the deadline would be needed.
It was unclear from the changing plans whether they signaled a new obstacle in the talks or potential progress. Western officials had said earlier in the day that Mr. Zarif and Mr. Kerry would each leave the talks for consultations before making a final push for an agreement. “We’ve been very candid that real differences remain and we’re not going to discuss an extension prematurely with the Iranians because that takes pressure off of them to wrestle with tough issues now,” said a senior State Department official, who declined to be identified because the official was talking about internal deliberations. “But obviously right now we’re meeting and assessing the best course forward,” the official added.
On Friday morning, Mr. Kerry held a three-way meeting with Mr. Zarif and Ms. Ashton. American officials did not disclose whether any headway had been made at that meeting, which followed a similar discussion Mr. Kerry had with the two officials last night. The negotiations in Vienna involve senior diplomats from Iran and the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China.
After his meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Mr. Kerry consulted with Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, and Philip Hammond, the British foreign secretary, on the next steps in the talks. The Obama administration’s goal in the talks is to conclude an agreement that would slow the Iranian program to the point that it would take Iran at least a year to make enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb if Tehran later decided to ignore the accord.
The negotiations in Vienna involve senior diplomats from Iran, the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China. A number of key obstacles for an agreement remain. One is how much capacity Iran would be allowed to retain to enrich uranium, an issue that encompasses the size of its nuclear stockpile and the number of centrifuges that could remain installed.
The hope for American officials is that a successful negotiation will ease tensions with Tehran, discourage other nations in the region from pursuing nuclear arms and enhance the Obama administration’s legacy on foreign policy. The second centers in on Iran’s demand that economic sanctions be permanently lifted and not just suspended step by step as Iran complies with the terms of the deals
The negotiations are being watched with a wary eye by leaders in Israel and in Saudi Arabia and by many American lawmakers, all of whom fear that a new accord would allow Iran to maintain too much of its nuclear infrastructure and potential bomb-making capacity. Mr. Kerry joined the current round of talks here on Thursday and has held three joint meetings with Mr. Zarif and Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s envoy to the talks.
Talks last year in Geneva to draft an interim agreement to freeze much of Iran’s nuclear program went down to the wire, and the two sides may be engaging in similar brinkmanship here in Vienna. Mr. Kerry consulted also here on the next steps in the talks with Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, and Philip Hammond, the British foreign secretary, who flew here Friday. Mr. Hammond later reported that there was “a very significant gap between the parties.”
There were no indications that the two sides had succeeded in resolving their differences over how many centrifuges Iran would be allowed to have for the enrichment of uranium, how long an accord might last and how fast sanctions might be lifted, among other key issues. American officials hope that a successful negotiation would ease tensions with Tehran and discourage other nations in the region from pursuing nuclear arms and enhance the Obama administration’s legacy on foreign policy. But the negotiations are being watched with a wary eye by Israel, Saudi Arabia and many American lawmakers, who fear that a new accord may allow Iran to maintain too much of its nuclear infrastructure and potential bomb-making capability.
During a trip to Latvia earlier this week, Mr. Hammond said he was not optimistic that a comprehensive agreement could be finalized by Monday, but he expressed the hope that there might yet be “some significant movement” that would warrant a second extension this year of the negotiating deadline. Talks last year in Geneva to draft an interim agreement to freeze much of Iran’s nuclear program went down to the wire, but ultimately resulted in an accord. If the negotiating deadline to complete a more comprehensive and enduring agreement were extended, it would be the second time this year. In a news conference in Thursday on Paris, Mr. Kerry sought to justify the time it has taken to pursue a comprehensive accord.
At a news conference in Paris on Thursday, Mr. Kerry sought to justify the drawn-out nature of the negotiations. “It was only last year when our nation first resumed high-level contact after decades of stalled relations,” he said. Yet Mr. Kerry was also adamant that the United States was not seeking an extension in the Monday negotiating deadline.
“It was only last year when our nations first resumed high-level contact after decades of stalled relations,” he said. “Work also had to be done during that time with our European partners.” “We are driving towards what we believe is the outline of an agreement that we think we can have,” Mr. Kerry said.
American officials have been reluctant to talk publicly about extending the deadline because of concerns that such a move would ease the pressure on Iran to make hard decisions. But it has become increasingly unlikely that any accord announced on Monday would be a complete one. Mr. Hammond was more open earlier this week in acknowledging that some sort of extension of the negotiating deadline might be needed.
“We are driving toward what we believe is the outline of an agreement that we think we can have,” Mr. Kerry said Thursday. During a trip to Latvia earlier this week, Mr. Hammond said he was not optimistic that a comprehensive agreement could be finalized by Monday but expressed the hope that there might yet be “some significant movement” that might warrant yet another deadline extension.