Kerry: We Have Made Real Progress, It's Time for Fundamental Decisions

John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, emphasized the achievement of 'real progress' in the latest round of nuclear negotiations, stating, 'We are not in a hurry... but we understand that fundamental decisions need to be made now; time will not make them easier.' On Saturday, March 21, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Kerry noted that despite the real progress in the talks, a desired agreement should not be based on trust but on accepting ways to prove the peaceful nature of Tehran's nuclear program. On the same day, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated that remaining disagreements regarding the nuclear program could have been resolved in last year's negotiations in Lausanne. He also mentioned that while common viewpoints have emerged that could form the basis for a final agreement, some issues and disagreements still remain. The multi-day negotiations in Lausanne were postponed to April 5. During the talks, Hanna Kavyani, a reporter for Radio Farda, reported two main challenges as key knots in the negotiations: technical issues regarding research and development and the manner of lifting sanctions. Kerry also emphasized to reporters that the issues are complex; 'highly technical and intertwined.' The U.S. Secretary of State stated that he would discuss with his European counterparts (in the 5+1 group: Britain, France, and Germany) in London to try to resolve the remaining issues. According to Mr. Kerry, negotiations with Iran will continue this week in Switzerland to determine whether the parties can reach a comprehensive agreement by the end of March (in 10 days). The U.S. Secretary of State stated, 'We are not at the finish line yet, but we should not be mistaken that we have the chance to strive to achieve it,' and now the matter 'relates to political will and making difficult decisions.' John Kerry and his accompanying delegation began their negotiations with Iranian officials on March 16. Another senior official involved in the talks with Iran, who has commented on the nuclear negotiations in recent hours, is Laurent Fabius, the French Foreign Minister. Mr. Fabius stated that Paris seeks an agreement with Tehran that guarantees 'Iran can have peaceful nuclear energy, not a nuclear bomb.' According to Reuters, France is calling for stricter limitations on Iran's nuclear program in any potential nuclear agreement with Tehran. Iranian officials have always emphasized that they are not seeking to build nuclear weapons but are only pursuing the peaceful benefits of nuclear energy. However, during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, Iran faced international sanctions, including several United Nations sanctions, due to its failure to cooperate or substantiate such claims.