Iran and 5+1 Have Not Discussed Extension of Negotiations

A senior U.S. official has told reporters that Iran and the negotiating countries regarding Tehran's nuclear program have not discussed a possible extension; the latest round of negotiations will begin in the last days remaining of the interim nuclear agreement. According to Reuters, this unnamed senior U.S. official stated on November 17 that the parties have made some progress in these negotiations, but there is still a long way to go between them, and it is unclear whether this gap will ultimately be bridged. The U.S. official said, 'Extension [of the negotiations deadline] has not been a topic of discussion at this moment.' Iranian negotiators and the six negotiating countries; the U.S., China, Russia, France, Britain, and Germany, will gather in Vienna in the last days remaining of the interim nuclear agreement, which itself has been extended once. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, departed for the Austrian capital on the morning of November 18 to participate in the talks. The negotiations will begin with a working lunch between Mr. Zarif and Catherine Ashton, the coordinator of the 5+1 group. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has also arrived in London, the capital of Britain; Hana Kavyani, a reporter for Radio Farda in Vienna, reports that Mr. Kerry will join the negotiations later this week. AFP reports that Kerry will discuss the nuclear negotiations with his British counterpart Philip Hammond on Tuesday. The official Iranian news agency IRNA described this round of negotiations as 'the most sensitive and important stage of the comprehensive negotiations,' which 'will determine the fate of 10 rounds of official negotiations in Vienna, New York, and Muscat.' A year into the ongoing negotiations, which have been accompanied by the temporary lifting of some sanctions and the suspension of some of Iran's nuclear activities, reports and analyses have raised the possibility that reaching a final agreement by December 3 (November 24) may not be possible, and the deadline may be extended again. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether the parties have had any specific discussions regarding this matter; because in addition to the U.S. official, Sergey Ryabkov, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, had previously stated, 'If under any circumstances we cannot reach an agreement, then I think we have until the evening of November 23 (December 2) to think about an alternative plan.' Reuters quotes a 'senior Western diplomat' as saying that the talks are progressing slowly; according to this unnamed diplomat, 'The Iranians have not moved an inch. There are 10 days left until the end of the negotiations. We still have a long way to go.' On the other hand, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, in a meeting with the Chairman of the State Duma of Russia in Tehran, stated that 'some excuses from the U.S. and the West could be an obstacle to the negotiations.' The German Foreign Minister warned last week that the nuclear negotiations with Tehran have reached a 'make or break' point, and if no results are achieved by December 3, there will be obstacles for at least another two years. What officials have emphasized is the agreement on views and differences regarding issues, including the most important ones such as Iran's enrichment capacity and the manner of lifting sanctions. The West suspects that Iran's nuclear program is being pursued for military purposes. Tehran has denied these accusations, stating that its goal is solely peaceful purposes. Nevertheless, not aligning with what the international community has requested regarding some of Iran's nuclear activities has brought sanctions against Iran in the United Nations Security Council. The U.S. and the European Union have also imposed extensive and separate sanctions against Tehran.