Kerry: We Are Closer Than Ever to a Comprehensive Agreement with Iran

The U.S. Secretary of State says the world is 'closer than ever' to a comprehensive agreement with Iran but emphasizes that there is still much work to be done. These statements were made prior to a meeting between the foreign ministers of Iran and the U.S. in New York. John Kerry spoke on Monday, April 26, at the opening session of the NPT Review Conference in New York. Kerry stated, 'In fact, we are closer than ever to a good and comprehensive agreement that we have been seeking, and if we reach it, the entire world will be safer.' According to the U.S. Secretary of State, if a comprehensive agreement is finalized, 'it will close all possible pathways for Iran to obtain the materials necessary to produce nuclear weapons and will provide the international community with the assurance that Iran's nuclear program is, in fact, entirely peaceful.' Tehran has always emphasized that its nuclear program only pursues peaceful objectives. However, during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, the suspension or reduction of cooperation with the international community for verification and the pursuit of certain programs led to extensive sanctions from the UN Security Council and the West. The manner of lifting these sanctions is one of the most complex issues and part of the contentious matters in the current negotiations. John Kerry stated that there is still much hard work left to reach a final agreement and that 'some key issues remain unresolved.' The Iranian Foreign Minister, upon his arrival in New York on Monday, stated, 'The U.S. government will be responsible for implementing the nuclear agreement, and internal disagreements in that country will not exempt it from fulfilling its international obligations.' Mr. Zarif's reference is to the disagreements between Barack Obama and his administration on one side and critics and opponents of the agreement in that country on the other. Meanwhile, Kerry and Zarif met and discussed on the sidelines of the NPT Review Conference. This is the first meeting between the two foreign ministers since the Lausanne understanding on April 2. Iranian officials had previously announced that negotiations to draft the text of the comprehensive nuclear agreement would resume on Monday in New York. Iran and the world powers in the so-called 5+1 group are expected to reach a comprehensive and final agreement document by the first week of July following the Lausanne understanding.