Iran Nuclear Talks On The Verge Of Collapse
US Secretary of State John Kerry threatened Thursday to walk away from Iran nuclear talks indicating that diplomats will not conclude an agreement over the coming hours -another delay that this time could complicate American efforts to quickly implement any deal.
“This is not open-ended,” Sec. Kerry told reporters outside the Viennese palace hosting the negotiations. “We can’t wait forever for the decision to be made. If the tough decisions don’t get made, we are absolutely prepared to call an end to this process.”
It was the strongest indication yet of US frustration with Iran.
It comes 2 days after US President Barack Hussein Obama promised Senate Democrats the same response to Iranian intransigence, suggesting patience for continuing the current round of discussions was running out as it headed into its 14th day.
The latest delay for a comprehensive deal is very important.
Iran is demanding prompt easing of economic penalties for nuclear concessions, and the longer it takes world powers to make good on their promises, the longer they will have to wait for the Iranians to scale back their nuclear program.
Under US law, the 7 nations negotiating in Vienna had to complete the accord before the end of Thursday in Washington to avoid invoking a 60-day congressional review period during which President Barack Hussein Obama cannot waive sanctions on Iran. If they had met the target, the review would have been 30 days.
The specter of prolonged public relations campaigns for and against the agreement may not work in Mr. Obama’s favor. The delay could imply that the US, Iran and other UN powers may end up having to push out the talks until September when any deal would again only amount to a 30-day review period.
“We will not rush and we will not be rushed,” Sec. Kerry said. “…but we will not sit here forever.”
Sec. Kerry spoke after discussing the state-of-play with other world powers for almost an hour Thursday evening. That conversation followed a flurry of other closed-door meetings, including a 45-min session between Sec. Kerry and his Iranian counterpart.
“We’re working hard, but not rushed, to get the job done,” Mr. Zarif tweeted.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he would remain in Austria’s capital for negotiations into Friday morning, citing “good things, but there is still work to do.”
The current round of talks has been extended 2X since it started on 27 June, as has an interim nuclear accord with Iran that these negotiations are meant to finalize. The preliminary deal was due to expire on 30 June, then 7 July and then Friday. It would have to be renewed a 3rd time if the talks go beyond Friday.
At an economic summit in Russia, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said his nation was preparing for a “post-sanctions” era, suggesting a deal may be in sight to curb Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
Sec. Kerry spoke by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was also in Russia and voiced optimism, saying he was prepared to return to Vienna.
And in what was widely seen as a hint that the talks might soon wrap up, the Obama White House late Wednesday issued a brief statement saying Mr. Obama had conferred with the US negotiating team through a secure video call.
The last time Mr. Obama held a secure conference call with his negotiators was shortly before the framework for a final accord was reached on 2 April in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Key differences persist over inspections of Iranian facilities and Iran’s research and development of advanced nuclear technology.
New difficulties also have surfaced over the past few days. Iran is pushing for an end to a UN arms embargo on the country but Washington opposes that demand.
Russia’s FM Lavrov took Tehran’s side. “Our Western partners, who did not support a draft resolution entirely acceptable to the other parties, are at fault, not Iran,” he tweeted.
Stay tuned…
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Paul Ebeling
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