US 'hopeful' on final Iran deal
The United States sees a path to reaching a “very good” Iran nuclear deal, but tough decisions will have to be made, according to a senior US official, as John Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif were set to join the talks in Vienna.
The United States is hopeful and sees a path to reaching a “very good” Iran nuclear deal in the coming days, but tough decisions will have to be made to finalize the accord, a senior US official said June 25, ahead of what is expected to be an intense, marathon final round of negotiations getting underway in Vienna this weekend.
US Secretary of State John Kerry will fly to Vienna June 26 to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will also attend the Vienna talks. However, Moniz’s Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, is not expected to come to Vienna, sources said, apparently for health reasons.
“We can truly see a path forward that gets us to a very good agreement here,” the senior US administration official, speaking not for attribution, told journalists on a phone call June 25. “We believe there are technical solutions for every issue on the table.”
But “tough decisions” will have to be made at the ministerial level, the US official said. “All of us, but particularly the Iranians … have some critical choices to make.”
