Kerry and Zarif Meet Behind Closed Doors in New York

John Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign ministers of the United States and Iran, began their negotiations in New York behind closed doors on Tuesday, April 31. The main focus of the discussions is the obstacles facing the implementation of the JCPOA, which Iranian officials emphasize. According to the Associated Press, the two ministers shook hands before the talks began, with Kerry standing in front of the Iranian flag and Zarif in front of the American flag. The U.S. Secretary of State thanked reporters, but neither official made any comments. On April 28, Zarif urged the U.S. to remove obstacles to dollar transactions by non-American banks with Iran. He stated, "As everyone has known from the beginning, the JCPOA did not and does not include American banks; rather, the issue is about the lack of U.S. interference in the cooperation of other banks with Iran." One day earlier, Valiollah Seif, the head of Iran's Central Bank, stated that global powers have not yet fulfilled their "commitments" under the nuclear agreement. He emphasized that Iran "is still not connected to the global economy" and that "Iran should be allowed to use the U.S. financial system." The United States claims it has fulfilled its commitments under the JCPOA, but access to the U.S. financial system is not part of the agreement. Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, stated on April 27 that the nuclear agreement did not include Tehran's access to the U.S. financial system, and Washington does not consider such a move feasible. According to the Associated Press, foreign banks are seeking clarification from Washington on the nature of legal transactions with Iran. In recent weeks, some reports have emerged indicating that the Obama administration is preparing a plan to facilitate Iran's dollar transactions with foreign banks, but Republicans have strongly opposed this action.