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| John Kerry Stops in Paris on His Way to Iran Talks in Vienna | John Kerry Stops in Paris on His Way to Iran Talks in Vienna |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| PARIS — Secretary of State John Kerry arrived here Thursday morning for talks with his French counterpart as he sought to close ranks with a key negotiating partner before heading to Vienna later in the day for a crucial round of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. | |
| “Secretary Kerry will travel from Paris, France to Vienna, Austria this evening to check in on the Iran nuclear negotiations,” said Jen Psaki, the State Department spokeswoman. “His date of departure from Vienna is not yet determined.” | “Secretary Kerry will travel from Paris, France to Vienna, Austria this evening to check in on the Iran nuclear negotiations,” said Jen Psaki, the State Department spokeswoman. “His date of departure from Vienna is not yet determined.” |
| With the nuclear talks facing a Monday deadline to constrain Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the Obama administration is mounting an intensive diplomatic push to reach an agreement. | |
| But there is little expectation that an accord, if it can be achieved, would be the comprehensive and detailed agreement the West has long sought. | |
| And some of the United States’ negotiating partners have already begun to send signals that the immediate goal is a partial understanding that would codify fresh progress while extending the negotiating deadline yet again. | And some of the United States’ negotiating partners have already begun to send signals that the immediate goal is a partial understanding that would codify fresh progress while extending the negotiating deadline yet again. |
| “I’m not optimistic that we can get everything done by Monday,” said Philip Hammond, Britain’s foreign minister, during a trip to Latvia on Wednesday. “But I think if we make some significant movement we may be able to find a way of extending the deadline to allow us to get to the final deal.” | “I’m not optimistic that we can get everything done by Monday,” said Philip Hammond, Britain’s foreign minister, during a trip to Latvia on Wednesday. “But I think if we make some significant movement we may be able to find a way of extending the deadline to allow us to get to the final deal.” |
| Even securing a partial understanding, however, will prove challenging. | Even securing a partial understanding, however, will prove challenging. |
| In a piece of diplomatic jockeying, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, said this week that an agreement was possible but only if the United States and other world powers did not make unreasonable demands. | |
| “If, because of excessive demands,” an agreement was not reached, “the world will understand that the Islamic Republic sought a solution, a compromise and a constructive agreement and that it will not renounce its rights and the greatness of the nation,” Mr. Zarif told the Iranian media after arriving in Vienna on Tuesday. | “If, because of excessive demands,” an agreement was not reached, “the world will understand that the Islamic Republic sought a solution, a compromise and a constructive agreement and that it will not renounce its rights and the greatness of the nation,” Mr. Zarif told the Iranian media after arriving in Vienna on Tuesday. |
| Russian officials, in anonymous comments to the Russian media, have echoed the theme that it is up to Mr. Kerry to show flexibility, especially regarding the pace at which economic sanctions would be lifted on Iran. | Russian officials, in anonymous comments to the Russian media, have echoed the theme that it is up to Mr. Kerry to show flexibility, especially regarding the pace at which economic sanctions would be lifted on Iran. |
| Mr. Kerry, in contrast, has cautioned that it is time for Iran to make the hard decisions on what nuclear constraints it is prepared to accept. | Mr. Kerry, in contrast, has cautioned that it is time for Iran to make the hard decisions on what nuclear constraints it is prepared to accept. |
| “It’s imperative, obviously, that Iran work with us in all possible effort to prove to the world the program is peaceful,” Mr. Kerry said in London on Tuesday. “This is a very critical week, obviously, in Iran negotiations.” | “It’s imperative, obviously, that Iran work with us in all possible effort to prove to the world the program is peaceful,” Mr. Kerry said in London on Tuesday. “This is a very critical week, obviously, in Iran negotiations.” |
| The Obama administration is facing countervailing pressures in Washington, where Republican lawmakers have been urging it to harden its negotiating position. | |
| The talks will turn on how many and what type of centrifuges Iran will be allowed to keep to enrich uranium, what happens to the nuclear material Tehran already possesses, measures to constrain Iran’s ability to produce plutonium, and the duration of the accord. | |
| All of the measures need to be synchronized with a schedule for suspending or lifting sanctions that would mollify Iran while preserving the West’s leverage in case an accord begins to fray. | |
| Mr. Kerry is meeting here with the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, to coordinate the negotiating strategy. But another American aim is to create the impression that there is unity on the Western side. Last year, an important round of negotiations with Iran was complicated by reports that the French were insisting that the American position be toughened, particularly with regard to a heavy-water reactor that was under construction at Arak, Iran. | |
| American officials insisted that those reports, which were supported by comments by Mr. Zarif, were overblown and said there were no significant differences between Washington and Paris. But mindful of that episode, American officials are eager to counter any perception of fissures in the West’s ranks as the current round of negotiations move into high gear. | |
| During his visit to Paris, Mr. Kerry also met with Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister. Saudi Arabia, a regional rival of Iran, is worried that an agreement will leave Iran with a significant nuclear infrastructure that Tehran could use if it sought to develop nuclear weapons. | |
| Before heading to Paris, Mr. Kerry conferred in London with Mr. Hammond and met twice there with Yusuf bin Alawi, the Omani foreign minister, who recently went to Tehran. | |
| Oman has served as a site for back-channel talks between American and Iranian officials, and the Omanis have played an important role as a conduit between the two sides. | |
| The nuclear talks in Vienna involve senior diplomats from Iran and the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China. | |
| Mr. Kerry, Mr. Fabius and other foreign ministers are expected to join the talks this week. | |
| American officials are adamant that they have not broached the idea of another extension with the Iranians. But it is clear, as Mr. Hammond indicated, that some form of extension is a likely option. | |
| An extension would mark the second time that a self-imposed deadline has been pushed back in the quest for a far-reaching agreement with the Iranians. | |
| The interim agreement that was negotiated last year to temporarily freeze much of Iran’s nuclear activity was initially supposed to have expired in July, and then extended until November 24 after Mr. Kerry said the talks were making tangible progress. | |
| “This will give us a short amount of additional time to continue working to conclude a comprehensive agreement, which we believe is warranted by the progress we’ve made and the path forward we can envision,” Mr. Kerry said in July. |