Kerry meeting vital to nuke talks progress, Iran says
Session shows readiness of sides to push forward, Iranian FM says, though uncertain if deal can be reached by July
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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Wednesday his meeting with US counterpart John Kerry was vital for progress on talks on Tehran’s contested nuclear drive.
“I think it’s important. I think it will show the readiness of the two parties to move forward to speed up the process,” he said, speaking to journalists as he awaited Kerry’s arrival for their meeting in a Geneva hotel.
Asked if there would be a comprehensive agreement by new July 1 deadline, Zarif replied: “We’ll see.”
“All issues are hard until we resolve them and all issues are easy if you resolve them,” he said in response to a question about which was the greatest stumbling block.
Under an interim deal agreed in November 2013, Iran’s stock of fissile material has been diluted from 20 percent enriched uranium to five percent, in exchange for limited sanctions relief.
This would push back the “breakout capacity” to make an atomic weapon, which Iran denies pursuing.
But after extending the deadline for a deal due to lingering gaps, negotiators are keen to seal a groundbreaking accord.
On Thursday, a fresh round of talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – plus Germany (P5+1), is scheduled to begin in Geneva.
The Times of Israel Community.