Nuclear deal won’t allow Iran to buy time, Kerry says

As a fresh round of nuclear talks got underway in Geneva Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said any agreement with Iran would not allow it to buy time, but added that an interim deal would not include a long-term decision on limiting the country’s nuclear enrichment.

A brief session of talks between the P5+1 states and Iran ended Wednesday night with both sides expressing hope of a possible deal being signed Thursday. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton were set to meet once again Thursday morning.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Kerry said an initial deal with Iran would not give Tehran a chance to rush to nuclear weapons capability.

“We will not allow this agreement, should it be reached … to buy time or to allow for the acceptance of an agreement that does not properly address our core, fundamental concerns,” Kerry said.

Iran is pushing for sanctions relief in exchange for curbing some nuclear activity. Reports indicate that an interim agreement would dial back some financial restrictions on Iran in return for Tehran keeping uranium below 20 percent enrichment.

Though Israel has raised concerns that an interim deal will become permanent, the US has defended the move as a test that can be undone.

Kerry said the issue of whether Iran is allowed to continue enriching uranium in the future, a key Western demand, would not be addressed during this round of talks.

“We are at the initial stage of determining whether or not there is a first step that could be taken, and that certainly will not be resolved in any first step, I can assure you,” he said, referring to enrichment activity.

Details of sanctions relief being discussed have not been revealed. But a member of Congress and legislative aides on Wednesday put the figure at $6 billion to $10 billion, based on what they said were estimates from the US administration.

The aides and the member of Congress demanded anonymity because they weren’t authorized to divulge the estimate publicly.

The senior US administration official declined comment beyond saying that envisaged sanctions would give Iran only limited relief and they could be rolled back if Iran reneges on terms of any initial deal.

The talks are being convened by Ashton, the European Union’s top diplomat. Her spokesman, Michael Mann, said there is “room for flexibility” on sanctions relief if Iran’s concessions warrant it.

In Washington, Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki expressed optimism, saying the Obama administration believes “we have an opportunity to move forward on a diplomatic path with the Iranians.”

However, in Jerusalem, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni warned an interim deal would turn final and the West would be persuaded to invest in Iran, Israel Radio reported.

Speaking in Haifa, US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro said the signing of an interim deal would not mean the US was taking a military option against Iran off the table permanently.

The meeting between the P5+1 and Iran lasted about 10 minutes on Wednesday, though more substantive negotiations are expected Thursday.

A senior US administration official told a Guardian reporter that the meeting between the P5+1 nations and Iranian representatives was unusually brief because it “was meant as a quick off on how we are going forward.” The “text of agreement is on the table,” the US official said, and would be discussed in the coming days by the representatives of Iran and world powers.

An American official, commenting on Iran’s demand that the world powers recognize its right to enrich uranium, said that “I believe it’s possible to navigate this matter in the framework of the agreement,” Israel Radio reported.

The talks resumed in Geneva hours after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had referred to Israel — which he called “the Zionist regime” — as “the rabid dog of the region.” Khamenei said Europe felt pressed to make concessions to the Zionists “because of their economic network,” but said the Zionist entity was doomed to collapse, and that its people “should not be called humans,” according to a Channel 2 translation of his comments.

A French government spokeswoman said President Francois Hollande believed the comments were “unacceptable” and would complicate talks between world powers and the Islamic regime over its nuclear program.

In Washington, though, Psaki said the diatribe was “not helpful” but would not affect talks.

“Comments like these are not helpful, but we still believe that both sides are negotiating in good faith,” she said.