Iran talks continue past deadline
Kerry delays his departure in hopes of deal
• With even a vague outline of an Iran nuclear deal eluding their grasp, negotiators headed for double overtime Wednesday night in a marathon attempt to find common ground for a more important task — forging a final deal by the end of June.
Iran and six world powers had cited progress in abandoning their March 31 deadline for the basic understanding that would prepare the ground for a new phase of negotiations on a substantive deal. But as differences persisted, the U.S. State Department said Secretary of State John Kerry was postponing his departure and would remain until at least Thursday morning.
The talks — the latest in more than a decade of diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear prowess — will hit the week-long mark Thursday, with diplomats from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany scrambling to reach a framework accord with Iran.
“We continue to make progress but have not reached a political understanding,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said negotiators were still facing a “tough struggle.”
A French diplomat said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was heading for Lausanne less than a day after he departed. Asked why, the diplomat referred to the minister’s comments earlier in the day when he said he would come back if there were chances for a deal.
At the same time, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif accused his country’s negotiating partners, particularly the U.S., of having “defective” political will.
“I’ve always said that an agreement and pressure do not go together, they are mutually exclusive,” he said. “So our friends need to decide whether they want to be with Iran based on respect or whether they want to continue based on pressure.”
The negotiators hope produce a joint statement outlining general political commitments to resolve concerns about the Iranians’ nuclear program in exchange for relief of economic sanctions. They are also trying to draft other documents that would detail the steps they must take by June 30 to meet those goals.
But Iran has pushed back, demanding a general statement with few specifics. That is politically unpalatable for the Obama administration, which must convince a hostile Congress it has made progress so lawmakers do not enact new sanctions that could destroy the negotiations.
By blowing through selfimposed deadlines, President Barack Obama risks further antagonizing lawmakers in both parties who are poised to take action to upend a deal if they determine the president has been too conciliatory.
The initial response to the extensions from Republicans suggested they had already come to that conclusion.
“It is clear, the negotiations are not going well,” said senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham. “At every step, the Iranians appear intent on retaining the capacity to achieve a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Zarif insisted the result of this round of talks “will not be more than a statement.” But a senior Western official said Iran’s negotiating partners would not accept a document that contained no details.
Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi named differences on sanctions relief as one dispute — but also suggested some softening of Tehran’s long-term insistence all sanctions be lifted immediately once a final deal takes effect.
I’ve always said an agreement and pressure do not go together