UK: Iran talks ‘painfully slow,’ will reconvene Saturday

Talks between major powers and Iran are making progress but it is “painfully slow,” British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Friday, adding that ministers would reconvene in Vienna the following day.

“We’re making progress, it’s painfully slow … there are still some issues that have to be resolved. I’m confident that our officials working with the Iranians over the next 12 hours or so will clear some more of the text and then we can re-group tomorrow (Saturday) to see if we can get over the last hurdles,” Hammond told reporters in the Austrian capital.

The Iran nuclear talks turned Friday from talk of progress to a blame game, with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accusing the United States of shifting its demands. He dismissed a warning that the US is ready to quit the negotiations as counterproductive.

Hours after his comments, Zarif met again US Secretary of State John Kerry for another try at resolving differences standing in the way of a landmark deal that offers Iran sanctions relief in exchange for long-term and verifiable curbs on nuclear programs which Tehran could turn to making weapons.

The tougher rhetoric mirrored the frustrations by the sides as the current round of talks entered its 14th day. After blowing past two extensions, negotiators had hoped to wrap up the talks by Friday, but Zarif’s comments cast doubts that agreement was near.

The sides had hoped to seal a deal before the end of Thursday in Washington in attempts to avoid delays in implementing their promises.

By missing that target, the US and Iran now have to wait for a 60-day congressional review period during which President Barack Obama cannot waive sanctions on Iran. Had they reached a deal by then, the review would have been only 30 days. Iran is unlikely to begin a substantial rollback of its nuclear program until it gets sanctions relief in return.

The talks are formally between Iran and six world powers but have devolved into US-Iranian negotiations over recent months, with diplomats saying the other nations were ready to accept terms agreed to by Tehran and Washington. Zarif’s critical comments were thus seen as mostly directed against Washington.

Still, disagreements also have surfaced recently between the US and Russia. Moscow supports Iranian demands for at least a partial lifting of the conventional arms embargo as part of any deal. That’s something Washington opposes — and an issue Zarif appeared to touch on in his comments to Iranian state television.

Beyond “witnessing a change of stances” from the other side, Zarif noted a “different stand” on some issues among the six nations. “This situation has made the work difficult,” he said.

Kerry had warned on Thursday that the Americans were ready to leave, declaring “we can’t wait forever for a decision to be made.” Zarif, in contrast, said his side was ready to stay and work for a “dignified and balanced deal.”

Even jokes meant to dispel tensions reflected the raw nerves after two weeks straight at the negotiating table, relieved only by brief breathers on the balcony of the ornate manor-turned-hotel venue for the talks.

“We’re pushing,” said Kerry when asked if there would be a deal this weekend. “Off the balcony,” quipped Federica Mogherini, the top EU diplomat convening the talks, prompting a smile and a wave of the finger from Kerry.

The scope of access to UN inspectors monitoring Iran’s nuclear program remains one of the sticking points. The Americans want no restrictions, whereas Iranian officials say they are concerned that unrestricted monitoring could be a cover for Western spying.

Diplomats say Iran’s negotiators have signaled a willingness to compromise on the issue, but hardliners in Iran remain opposed to broad UN inspections. In a message directed to “negotiators on both sides,” Iran’s military spokesman, Gen. Masoud Jazayeri, told Iran’s Fars news agency that “access to the military sites will not be allowed under any circumstance.”

Anti-American sentiment remains strong in the country, though Iranians overwhelmingly welcomed the preliminary accord in April.

On Friday, millions of Iranians taking part in an annual rally marched in Tehran, chanting “Down with America” and “Death to Israel.”