Iran talks kick into overdrive
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has said the negotiators need a couple more days to try to conclude a final Iran nuclear accord.
VIENNA — Negotiators “stopped the clock” at the Iran talks Tuesday as they ran up against a self-imposed July 7 deadline, saying they would continue the talks for the next hours or couple of days as they struggle to overcome differences on some tough and sensitive remaining issues to conclude a final Iran nuclear deal. But there were also signs of continued internal divisions within the six world powers on the issue of what should happen with a UN Security Council arms embargo on Iran, with Russia insisting that arms exports to Iran should be allowed.
“It is of crucial importance … how we can agree on the issue as soon as possible on the issue of arms embargo,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian journalists as he departed the talks in Vienna that were held over the past day between foreign ministers from Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1).
The foreign ministers from France, the United Kingdom, Germany and China also planned to leave, but said they will return in the next days if needed.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif plan to continue negotiating here, the State Department said, announcing that the United States is extending the interim deal measures until July 10.
