US, Iran nuke talks enter critical round
27 March 2015 5:47 AM IST
Nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran entered a critical phase on Thursday with US Secretary of State John Kerry meeting his Iranian counterpart less than a week away from an end-of-month deadline to secure the outline of a deal.
With the clock ticking, Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and their teams huddled on Thursday in the Swiss resort town of Lausanne on Lake Geneva trying to overcome still significant gaps after nearly two years of negotiations between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.
The top diplomats from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia are expected to join the talks if the US and Iran are close to an agreement. US officials say the March 31 deadline is achievable but remains uncertain. En route to Switzerland with Kerry yesterday, one official said the American side "can see a path forward to get to agreement" by the end of March as the last round of talks produced more progress than many previous rounds.The official was not authorised to discuss the talks by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The pressure is high. The seven nations have set themselves a March 31 deadline for the outline of a final accord they hope to seal by the end of June. Both President Barack Obama and Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have spoken against what would be a third extension of the talks.
With the clock ticking, Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and their teams huddled on Thursday in the Swiss resort town of Lausanne on Lake Geneva trying to overcome still significant gaps after nearly two years of negotiations between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.
The top diplomats from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia are expected to join the talks if the US and Iran are close to an agreement. US officials say the March 31 deadline is achievable but remains uncertain. En route to Switzerland with Kerry yesterday, one official said the American side "can see a path forward to get to agreement" by the end of March as the last round of talks produced more progress than many previous rounds.The official was not authorised to discuss the talks by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The pressure is high. The seven nations have set themselves a March 31 deadline for the outline of a final accord they hope to seal by the end of June. Both President Barack Obama and Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have spoken against what would be a third extension of the talks.
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