Kerry: It Is Still Early to Ensure the Finalization of the Agreement

John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, who is in Vienna where Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is returning on Tuesday, says it is still early to be certain about the finalization of the nuclear agreement. On July 8, Kerry told reporters, 'We are still working, and it is too early for any judgment.' Accompanying Zarif on his return to Vienna, the site of nuclear negotiations, will be Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization. According to a report by Hana Kavyani, a correspondent for Radio Farda in Vienna, this is significant from both a technical perspective and due to Salehi's closeness to the Iranian leader, should an agreement be reached. Zarif, during his temporary return to Tehran, stated that negotiations between Iranian experts and the six world powers are still ongoing in the Austrian capital, and his return to Tehran had been pre-planned. Reports and analyses regarding the nuclear negotiations can be followed on the 'Iran Nuclear File' page. However, in what the French news agency described as a sign of progress, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated he would also go to Vienna on Tuesday. China and Russia had sent their deputy foreign ministers to the negotiations. The French Foreign Minister also stated he would return to Vienna this week. It remains unclear whether the foreign ministers of China, Germany, and the UK will join the discussions in the coming days. Current reports indicate that with the deadline effectively set for tomorrow, July 10, negotiations will continue for several more days. Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, expressed hope for the conditions to reach an agreement in the coming days, emphasizing that 'extension [of negotiations] is not among the options.' On Monday, Li Baodong, the Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister, also stated that the extension of nuclear negotiations would not be long, and according to him, only one step remains to reach a final nuclear agreement. John Kerry met with Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Monday. Kerry described his meeting with Amano as 'good' on Twitter and praised his efforts and hard work during the negotiations. The IAEA plays a crucial role in verifying the identity and integrity of Iran's nuclear program and assuring its peaceful nature. In this regard, Mogherini stated that the parties have shown 'political will' to reach an agreement, and there has been progress in negotiating the timeline for lifting sanctions. Speculation surrounds the reason for Zarif's return to Tehran, while Salehi joins the Iranian nuclear negotiating team in Vienna.