Kerry and Zarif meet at UN forum

Talks come as nuclear negotiators try to complete agreement by end of June

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart met this week for the first time since they laid out the framework for a nuclear deal earlier this month.

The State Department said Kerry and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif were to meet yesterday in New York where both men are participating in a conference at the United Nations on the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

The meeting comes as nuclear negotiators try to complete a comprehensive agreement by the end of June. The State Department said that in addition to his meeting with Zarif, Kerry would also see the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan at the UN.

In early April, Iran and world powers sealed a breakthrough agreement after months of negotiations outlining limits on Iran’s nuclear programme to keep it from being able to produce atomic weapons. The Islamic republic was promised an end to years of crippling economic sanctions, but only if negotiators transform the plan into a comprehensive pact.

Talks between Iran and world powers in recent days have been marked by tough talk from the Iranians about the lifting of sanctions and rejecting US demands for thorough monitoring to make sure Iran meets its obligations. That has raised questions whether Iran is talking tough as a negotiating technique as deadlines approach.

Another uncertain factor in the talks has been Congress, which has been debating a bill that would allow it to review and potentially reject any Iran nuclear deal. Some lawmakers are contemplating suggested changes that could undermine President Barack Obama’s grudging acceptance of that congressional measure.

A solid majority of American voters were found to back President Barack Obama’s interim deal with Iran, a poll by Quinnipiac University showed yesterday. Some 58 per cent of voters back the deal.

Opinion poll

Meanwhile, a solid majority of American voters were found to back President Barack Obama’s interim deal with Iran, a poll by Quinnipiac University showed yesterday. Some 58 per cent of voters back the outline deal. While voters overwhelmingly backed the accord being put to a vote in the Republican-controled Congress, only 33 per cent of voters opposed the deal, far less than the number who vote for the Republican party.

Forty-seven Senate Republicans — including several potential 2016 presidential candidates — have signed an open letter to Iran’s supreme leader warning the deal might not be honoured by a Republican administration.

Some 77 per cent of voters said they wanted to see a negotiated settlement to the nuclear crisis rather than military intervention.