Kerry, Zarif in crucial nuke talks prior to deal deadline

Tehran rejected a key Western demand for site inspections on Saturday just as US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart launched crunch talks to secure a nuclear deal ahead of a looming deadline.

The Geneva talks between Kerry and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in the run-up to the June 30 deadline come amid heightened diplomatic moves to try and end a 12-year standoff and put a nuclear bomb beyond Iran’s reach. Kerry and Zarif huddled for negotiations in a leading hotel, greeting each other warmly and chatting as they walked together along the corridor to the meeting room.

Asked by a journalist whether they expected to meet the deadline, Zarif smiled and said: “We will try.” Kerry did not respond.

Even as talks got underway, senior Iranian nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi said it would be “out of the question” for UN inspectors to question Iranian scientists and inspect military site inspections as part of a final nuclear deal.