Genuine Progress in Iran Talks ahead of Final Hours

Local Editor

Global powers upped the pressure on Iran late Sunday, as the US said the fate of the talks hung in the balance.

US Secretary of State John Kerry stressed that after almost two years of negotiations and on the ninth day of these latest talks "genuine progress" had been made.

But after meeting his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif three times on Sunday, the top US diplomat said the talks "could go either way." The two men were set to meet again Sunday evening.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini had essentially the same message as they arrived back in Vienna ahead of Tuesday's deadline for a comprehensive deal curtailing Iran's nuclear program.

Their German and British counterparts were also due back, along with Russia's Sergei Lavrov.

"All the cards are on the table, the main question is to know whether the Iranians will accept making clear commitments on what until now has not been clarified," Fabius said.

Kerry stressed that despite progress "we are not yet where we need to be on several of the most difficult issues."

If all sides were prepared to make hard choices, then "we could get an agreement this week. But if they are not made, we will not," Kerry warned, adding that if there was "absolute intransigence" the US would walk away.

"The time is now... We are very close," said Mogherini, adding the atmosphere was "constructive, positive."

"I see the political will ... now it is a matter of seeing all together if this political will manages to translate into political decisions."

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran and the P5+1 group of countries still face differences on some issues pertaining to the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, as an extended deadline set to reach a final deal approaches.

"We are trying to solve some remaining differences," Zarif told reporters in the Austrian capital of Vienna, the venue of the latest round of talks between Iran and the six world powers, late Sunday.

On some issues, he said, differences are still there, adding that the outcome is still unknown.

Speaking upon his arrival in Vienna on Sunday, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the negotiating parties have a "unique chance" to strike the final nuclear deal.

"I hope that it is clear to all parties in these final days that this is a unique chance that we have now," Steinmeier said.

"We have a wonderful chance after 12 years of talks finally to end a long-running conflict... which would also send out a signal for the whole region," he added.

An Iranian nuclear negotiator said on Sunday that a failure to reach a deal would not mean "the end of the world."

"If no agreement is reached [between Iran and the world powers], it would not be the end of the world. A good and lasting agreement needs political decisions and the time is now ripe for that," Majid Takht-e Ravanchi said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team