VIENNA — Contentious nuclear talks between world powers and Tehran hit a new snag Friday after Iran apparently again turned down U.S. demands for concessions, leaving negotiations in limbo just three days before a deadline for a deal.
In hours of high drama reflecting the delicate stage of the talks, both U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif first made, then cancelled plans to walk away from the talks — at least temporarily — for additional consultations. Such developments could have meant possible progress, suggesting that the Iranians needed political approval from Tehran to move forward.
After initially announcing he was flying to Paris, Kerry suddenly reversed course and scheduled a new meeting with Zarif late Friday, with the two talking into the evening for more than two hours.
Iranian media initially spoke of a new U.S. initiative that Zarif needed to have his superiors sign off on, but the Iranian diplomat dashed those hopes. “There have been a lot of discussions in Vienna, but there were no remarkable offers and ideas to take to Tehran,” he said.
The remark reflected the probability that substantial obstacles remain in the way of a deal that would cap Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief — a view reinforced by senior diplomats of other nations taking part in the negotiations.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that a phone call between Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed that “more efforts are needed” to meet Monday’s deadline for a deal. And after consulting in Vienna with participants in the talks, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond spoke of “a very significant gap between the parties.”
Kerry and Zarif have both emphasized that there has been no discussion about extending the talks — for a second time — if the deadline is not met. At the same time, the stubborn differences increasingly suggest little choice than to agree to continue talking past Monday — or to call the negotiations a failure, something neither side can afford to do.
Breaking off talks would embolden Iran to end a freeze on nuclear activities it says it needs for civilian purposes, but which can also be used to make atomic arms.
Even if the deadline is missed, both sides hope they can persuade skeptics at home that enough progress was achieved to warrant further pursuit of a full deal.
The main obstacle remains how deeply to cut into Tehran’s uranium enrichment program.
The sides have moved closer.
