Kerry on the Verge of Issuing Statement Regarding Nuclear Negotiations with Iran

According to reports, John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, is expected to issue a statement on Sunday afternoon, July 14, regarding the progress of nuclear negotiations with Iran. As reported by the French news agency, Mr. Kerry, who is in Vienna, Austria, is set to announce his statement at 4:30 PM local time (2:30 PM GMT) outside the Coburg Hotel, where the new round of nuclear negotiations with Iran has entered its ninth day. According to a correspondent from Radio Farda, the third round of bilateral talks between Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, and his American counterpart, John Kerry, has just concluded on Sunday, July 14, in Vienna. While the extended deadline for continuing negotiations ends on Tuesday of this week, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, the UK, and Russia are expected to arrive in Vienna on Sunday evening, and possibly their Chinese counterpart will arrive on Monday. Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Iran, Russia, and China are scheduled to travel to Ufa, Russia, on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 7 and 8, to participate in the summit of the BRICS economic group and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. According to a Radio Farda correspondent in Vienna, the negotiators aim to reach a consensus on the agreement in the coming days, and after announcing this consensus, the UN Security Council will also issue its resolution on the matter. Following that, the next stage will involve the legal procedures related to the results of the negotiations in the respective countries. Abbas Araqchi, a senior member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team, stated on Sunday, July 14, that the focus of the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the 1+5 group is currently on the issue of synchronizing and corresponding actions of the parties. Mr. Araqchi added, "On the day of the agreement, we expect the other side to lift its sanctions, and we will also begin our actions, and when our actions are completed, that will be the day the agreement is implemented." Khamenei: The goal of sanctions is not the nuclear issue. According to the official website of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei stated in a speech on Saturday evening, July 13, that the goal of the so-called "enemies" behind the sanctions is not the "nuclear issue or issues such as human rights and terrorism... but preventing the Iranian nation from reaching its deserved civilizational status." Mr. Khamenei emphasized on Tuesday, July 2, that the lifting of Western sanctions "should not be conditional on Iran's commitments being fulfilled." Meanwhile, according to Abbas Araqchi, although "many of the contentious issues" regarding the lifting of sanctions against Iran have been resolved, "four or five important issues" still remain. Hillary Clinton: The agreement with Iran must be solid. Hillary Clinton, a candidate for the upcoming U.S. presidential election, expressed hope on Saturday, July 13, in a campaign speech that the Obama administration and other world powers could reach a final nuclear agreement with Iran, emphasizing that this agreement must be solid and verifiable to put an end to "Iran's nuclear ambitions." Meanwhile, Ms. Clinton assessed that even if a reliable agreement is reached, Iran's policies regarding the region, including "Iran's support for terrorism," will remain unchanged. According to the Associated Press, Ms. Clinton added that "reaching an agreement does not mean we can breathe easy." According to the former U.S. Secretary of State, Iran is a "vital threat to Israel"; she added that if she becomes president, she will establish a better friendship with the Israeli government compared to the current U.S. administration. Netanyahu: The agreement being negotiated in Vienna is worse than the agreement with North Korea. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also referred to the agreement being negotiated in Vienna on Sunday, July 14, as "worse than the agreement with North Korea." Netanyahu's reference was to the agreement that resulted from negotiations between North Korea and six countries from 2003 to 2007, but two years later, North Korea conducted its nuclear test. In his remarks on Sunday, the Prime Minister added that regarding Iran, "there are both unconventional threats and serious conventional threats against Israel, regional countries, and the world." According to Netanyahu, reports from Vienna indicate that with each passing day, the negotiating powers are retreating more (against Iran). Netanyahu, whose remarks were broadcast on Israeli radio, also claimed in his cabinet meeting in Jerusalem that the agreement "paves the way for Iran to reach a nuclear bomb and provides hundreds of billions of dollars for Iran to further its terrorist missions and aggression in the region and the world."