Kerry braces for Iran quizzing

Refuses to reveal details of negotiations, but says Tehran will not get a nuclear weapon

Secretary of State John Kerry has implored sceptical senators not to criticise nuclear negotiations with Iran before a deal can be crafted, but he’s certain to get another round of questions about the sensitive talks from members of the House.

Kerry’s second appearance in two days on Capitol Hill follows Tuesday’s session before a Senate panel. He already has been asked about the fight against Daesh militants, Russia’s meddling in neighbouring Ukraine, the crisis in Syria and the sensitive negotiations under way to prevent Iran from being able to have nuclear weapons.

Negotiators are rushing to try to meet a March 31 deadline for a framework agreement that would keep Tehran from being able to develop nuclear weapons.

“The president has made clear — I can’t state this more firmly — the policy is Iran will not get a nuclear weapon,” Kerry told members of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee. “And anybody running around right now, jumping in to say, ‘Well, we don’t like the deal,’ or this or that, doesn’t know what the deal is. There is no deal yet. And I caution people to wait and see what these negotiations produce.”

Kerry went to the Senate a day after returning to Washington from the latest round of talks in Geneva involving Iran, the US and five other world powers. US and Iranian officials reported progress on getting to a deal that would clamp down on Tehran’s nuclear activities for at least ten years but then slowly ease restrictions.

Kerry wouldn’t disclose details about the latest negotiations, but he said the term “breakout” in the context of the current talks does not refer to the time it would take Iran to deliver a nuclear weapon.

“Breakout is the amount of time it takes to develop enough fissile material for one weapon. ... You still gotta go design a means of delivery,” he said.