White House: Negotiations Have Made 'Real Progress' but Differences Remain

While everyone is waiting for the announcement of the results of the Vienna negotiations, the White House spokesperson announced on Monday, July 22, that the nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers have made 'real progress' but differences still remain. Josh Earnest emphasized that the discussions are likely to extend into Tuesday. According to AFP, he stated, 'They (the negotiators) have made real progress... but some points remain unresolved.' The White House spokesperson clarified that negotiations will continue. Iranian officials also stated that negotiations might continue past the final deadline set for midnight on Monday, and the success of the negotiations is not yet fully guaranteed. According to Reuters, Iranian media reported that the foreign ministers of the six world powers are scheduled to meet late on Monday. Tasnim news agency stated that this is a very important meeting, but several senior European officials expressed ignorance about the meeting. No specific signs of progress in the negotiations on Monday in Vienna regarding contentious issues such as the lifting of UN sanctions or inspections of Iran's military sites were observed. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in response to reporters who asked him if an agreement would be reached on Monday, said, 'There is always that possibility.' Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry did not respond to reporters' questions about extending the negotiations or the likelihood of reaching an agreement before the set deadline. Fars news agency also quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying, 'In principle, the deadline for negotiations should not be extended, but we can continue negotiations as long as necessary.' The Iranian Foreign Minister negotiated for over an hour with John Kerry and Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief. It seems that the global oil market was anticipating a quick agreement. Considering the possibility of an agreement, the lifting of sanctions against Iran and the increase in its oil exports, oil prices in the global market fell by one percent today. Western diplomats said plans for an official announcement ceremony for this agreement have been prepared. However, if the two sides do not reach an agreement by the end of Monday, world powers will have to extend the terms and conditions of the interim agreement with Iran for the third consecutive time. Another option is to leave the negotiating table, which both the American and Iranian sides have stated they are willing to do. Alternatively, the parties can postpone the negotiations for several weeks or months. Iran has stated that it opposes this option. Reuters reminds that one of the most important points of contention is Iran's insistence that if a final agreement is reached, the UN Security Council resolution passed in 2006, which prohibits Iran's missile activities, must be lifted. Russia, a major exporter of advanced weapons to Iran, supports Iran on this issue. Other contentious issues include access and international inspections of Iran's military sites, providing more comprehensive explanations from Iran regarding that part of Tehran's past nuclear activities that likely had military aspects, and finally, the speed of lifting international sanctions against Iran. Fars news agency reported that Iran intends to add the discussion of the Security Council resolution to the topics and axes of the nuclear negotiations, resulting in world powers and the United Nations declaring that Iran's nuclear program is entirely legal. Comments from Republican and Democratic senators on Sunday indicated that any final agreement with Iran will be carefully reviewed by the U.S. Congress. A senior official from the Western negotiating team told reporters on Monday, 'All components and provisions of this agreement are present. Only the final changes and inclusion of final considerations remain. It is time for all negotiating parties to make their final decisions and approve them.' A senior Iranian official also stated that 99 percent of the issues have been resolved and added, 'If there is political will, we can complete all remaining work by the end of Monday and announce the final agreement tomorrow.' The Israeli Energy Minister, who usually comments on the Iranian nuclear crisis on behalf of Benjamin Netanyahu, said in an interview with Army Radio on Monday that he believes the nuclear agreement with Iran will be finalized on Monday or Tuesday. He emphasized the Israeli government's opposition to this agreement.