With stubborn disputes unresolved, negotiators extended nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers past a self-imposed Tuesday midnight deadline in an effort to outline an agreement.
Enough progress had been made to warrant the extension, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said, although she added there still were “several difficult issues” to bridge.
Secretary of State John Kerry, who had planned to leave the talks Tuesday, remained in Switzerland, and an Iranian negotiator said his team could stay “as long as necessary.”
The decision came after six days of marathon efforts to reach a preliminary understanding, drawing in foreign ministers from all seven nations at the table: Iran, the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
After more than a decade of diplomatic efforts to limit Tehran’s nuclear advances, the current talks already had been extended twice, demonstrating the difficulties of reaching an agreement that meets the demands of both sides.
The U.S. and its negotiating partners demand curbs on Iranian nuclear activities that could be used to make weapons, and they say any agreement must extend the time Tehran would need to produce a weapon — now estimated at several months — to at least a year. The Iranians deny such military intentions, but they are negotiating with the aim of reaching a deal will end Western sanctions on their economy.
In Washington, White House press secretary Josh Earnest aid the sides were working to produce a text with few specifics, accompanied by documents outlining areas where further talks are needed
“If we are making progress toward the finish line, then we should keep going,” he said.
Officials had hoped to wrap up the current talks with a joint general statement agreeing to start a new phase of negotiations. That statement would be accompanied by more detailed documents that would include technical information on steps required to resolve outstanding concerns.
Those documents would allow both sides to claim that the new phase of talks would not simply be a continuation of the negotiations. President Barack Obama and other leaders have said they are not interested in simply a third extension.
The softening of the language from a framework “agreement” to a framework “understanding” appeared due in part to opposition to a two-stage agreement from Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Earlier this year, he demanded only one deal that would nail down specifics and not permit the other side to “make things difficult” by giving it wiggle room on interpretations.
But if the parties agree only to a broad framework that leaves key details unresolved, Obama can expect stiff opposition at home from members of Congress who want to move forward with new, harsher Iran sanctions. Lawmakers had agreed to hold off on such a measure through March while the parties negotiated.
Obstacles remain on several main issues: uranium enrichment, where stockpiles of enriched uranium should be stored, limits on Iran’s nuclear research and development and the timing and scope of sanction, according to negotiators.
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