An American Official: The Next Round of Nuclear Negotiations with Iran is 'Very Difficult'

On the eve of the deadline for a comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, a senior U.S. government official described the next round of nuclear negotiations as 'very difficult.' Reuters reported on Wednesday, June 10, the remarks of this U.S. official, who was not named, stating that upcoming negotiations will focus on details. He stated, 'As expected after the Lausanne [political understanding], the next part of this process will be quite difficult as we will focus on details.' According to him, the parties will have detailed discussions about access to Iran's military sites. This comes as the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic has opposed inspections of Iran's military sites, while the International Atomic Energy Agency has noted that any potential nuclear agreement must allow for visits to Iran's military sites. The senior U.S. official also stated, 'We know that there will be no agreement unless the International Atomic Energy Agency can investigate [Iran's nuclear program] by any appropriate and necessary means, which includes managed access to various sites and locations.' Iran and the 1+5 group have set July 1 as the deadline for reaching a comprehensive nuclear agreement, but statements from both sides indicate that many disagreements still exist. Meanwhile, Abbas Araqchi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran's deputy foreign ministers, began a new round of talks with Helga Schmid, the Deputy Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs of the European Union, in Vienna on Wednesday. The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that Wednesday's talks aimed to 'reduce points of contention and finalize the text of the nuclear agreement.' Additionally, experts from Iran and the 1+5 group, who were part of the previous round of negotiations in Vienna, resumed their discussions simultaneously with the deputy ministers, focusing on 'the timing of the lifting and suspension of sanctions and the implementation of Iran's commitments.' According to IRNA, Iranian experts and the 1+5 group also negotiated on Tuesday regarding the method for dismantling Iran's sanctions, which lasted four hours. This round of nuclear negotiations, held at the level of deputies and experts from both sides, will continue until Friday, June 22.