Iraqi Announces Possibility of Extending Iran's Nuclear Negotiations After July 1st

While it was previously announced that the parties in the nuclear talks with Iran were expected to reach a final agreement by July 1st, Abbas Araghchi announced that the deadline for reaching a nuclear agreement may be extended. According to ISNA news agency, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister stated on Wednesday, June 6, upon arriving at Vienna airport, the capital of Austria, "Negotiations will continue until the deadline of July 1st and may even go beyond that. We are not bound by time but rather by the need to achieve a good agreement with details that are favorable to us, even if it takes a long time." Gérard Araud, the French ambassador in Washington, stated on June 5 that "it is very likely" that the parties will not succeed in reaching a final agreement in the next five weeks and even beyond. Araud, who spoke at the Atlantic Council alongside the ambassadors of Germany and the UK in the US, mentioned that "a lot of technical work remains, which means that any understanding reached may still remain ambiguous." Araghchi also stated, "When the drafting of the text is completed and approved, we will have a final agreement, and this is something we are not at a point to say will be completed quickly." He added, "As we approach the final stages of negotiations, discussions become more serious, complex, and detailed. In this round of talks, all topics are on the table, and we are addressing them simultaneously. Issues related to sanctions, nuclear matters, timelines, and the discussion of a joint commission to follow up on these issues are all being discussed at the same time." The current negotiations in Vienna, which began today, Wednesday, are expected to continue until Friday of this week. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, also stated on Wednesday that "Iran's positions on the nuclear issue have been previously announced" and urged the negotiating team to "insist on these positions." The Supreme Leader emphasized on May 19 that Iran "will not allow inspections of military sites" and "interrogation of its nuclear scientists." Meanwhile, the French Foreign Minister stated that his country will not support any nuclear agreement with Iran unless it allows access to all of Iran's nuclear facilities, including military sites. Laurent Fabius told French parliament representatives on Wednesday, "If the nuclear agreement does not explicitly mention the possibility of inspections of Iran's facilities, including military sites, France will not accept this agreement." Previously, Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, also stated that "visits to Iran's military sites must be part of any potential nuclear agreement." Iran and the 1+5 group, consisting of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany, began the fifth round of negotiations today, Wednesday, to draft a comprehensive nuclear agreement.