Iran nuclear talks: deadline extended to June 2015 – live
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Version 0 of 1. 6.32pm GMT18:32 End-of-day summary We have worked long and hard not just over these past days but for months … This takes time. The stakes are high and the issues are complicated and technical. Each decision affects other decisions … and each decision deeply affects national security and international interests. We don’t want just any agreement, we want the right agreement. During the talks in Vienna many gaps were narrowed and our positions with the other side got closer. Most important achievement of #IranTalksVienna:common understanding that negotiations are the only way to a final deal,not exerting pressure No deal is better than a bad deal … The fact that there’s no deal now gives an opportunity to continue the economic pressures that have proven to be the only thing that brought Iran to the table. To continue them, to toughen them – I think that’s the road that has to be taken. That’s it for the liveblog today. Thank you for reading and for your comments. 6.15pm GMT18:15 Julian Borger, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, has filed this round-up of the day’s developments: Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme have been extended until the end of June next year in the hope that the broad outlines of a deal can be agreed within three months. The extension was announced on Monday after nine months of negotiations culminated in a week of talks in Vienna that failed to close gaps between Iran and a six-nation negotiating group over the scale of a future Iranian nuclear programme and the speed with which international sanctions would be lifted. The US secretary of state, John Kerry, claimed ‘progress was made on some of the most vexing challenges that we face’. ‘Today we are closer to a deal that would make the entire world … safer and more secure,’ Kerry said. ‘Is it possible that in the end we just won’t arrive at a workable agreement? Absolutely. We are certainly not going to sit at the negotiating table for ever. But given how far we have come … this is certainly not the time to get up and walk away.’ Iranian president Hassan Rouhani also sounded an upbeat note. ‘During the talks in Vienna many gaps were narrowed and our positions with the other side got closer,’ Rouhani was quoted as saying by Iranian state television. Talks will resume next month to try to consolidate progress made in the Austrian capital and to continue the search for ways to bridge the remaining differences. You can read the full article here. 4.58pm GMT16:58 Kerry is asked about the likely hostile reaction of the US congress to the extension agreed today: As a former member of Congress … I have huge respect for the prerogatives of the US Congress … I hope they will come to see the wisdom of leaving us the equilibrium for a few months to be able to proceed … We certainly stand prepared to work with Congress in every way possible. It’s way too premature to be talking about veto … I’m not going to get into that. And now Kerry has to get a plane, so the press conference is over. I will round up reaction and summarise the day’s developments shortly. 4.48pm GMT16:48 Kerry has finished speaking now and is taking questions from reporters. 4.48pm GMT16:48 Kerry: 'Iran has kept its side of the bargain' Kerry: The interim agreement was not violated; Iran has held up its side of the bargain. 4.47pm GMT16:47 Kerry: 'We want to terminate sanctions' We will not discuss the details of the negotiations … but progress was made on some of the most vexing challenges that we face. This agreement … cannot be based on trust. Because trust can’t be built overnight. Instead the agreement has to be built on verification, on measures that serve to build confidence over time. We really want this to work. But not at the cost of just anything. We want to reach a comprehensive deal and we want it to work for everybody. We want to terminate the sanctions – yes, we want to terminate the sanctions … but the world, not just the US, still has concerns … We need Iran to take concrete steps to answer those questions. 4.43pm GMT16:43 Kerry: A year ago we had no idea whether or not real progress could be made through these talks – we only knew that we had a responsibility to try. Today we are closer to a deal that would make the entire world … safer and more secure. Is it possible that in the end we just won’t arrive at a workable agreement? Absolutely. We are certainly not going to sit at the negotiating table for ever. But given how far we have come … this is certainly not the time to get up and walk away. He says experts will meet again very soon, and “we” will meet again in December – it’s not clear whether he means the foreign ministers here. 4.40pm GMT16:40 Kerry: That is why we are jointly … extending these talks for seven months with the very specific goal of finishing the political agreement within four months … If we can do it sooner, we want to do it sooner. If we have not agreed on the major elements at that point in time … we can then choose how to proceed. There are still some significant points of disagreement and they have to be worked through. But the world is safer than it was one year ago … Today Iran has halted progeress on its nuclear programme and it has rolled it back for the first time in a decade. 4.38pm GMT16:38 Kerry: We have worked long and hard not just over these past days but for months … This takes time. The stakes are high and the issues are complicated and technical. Each decision affects other decisions … and each decision deeply affects national security and international interests. We don’t want just any agreement, we want the right agreement. President Obama has been crystal clear that we must ensure Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon … We are engaged in that struggle in many places. President Obama has also been clear that the best way to do this is through diplomacy. These talks aren’t suddenly going to get easier just because we extend them … but we have made real and substantial progress. 4.33pm GMT16:33 Kerry thanks all the participants in the talks, including “my good friend” Catherine Ashton, who chaired the talks. He thanks Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif: The Iranian foreign minister has worked hard … he has approached these negotiations in good faith. 4.30pm GMT16:30 John Kerry's press conference The US secretary of state John Kerry has arrived for his press conference in Vienna. Kerry taking stage now in Vienna pic.twitter.com/lSWPxjAvMo 4.29pm GMT16:29 My colleague Julian Borger has more from UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond: We met last night over dinner and we did discuss the possibility that the Iranians might turn up this morning with some radically new proposal. We didn’t think it likely and last night we were focused on the possibility of a rollover today. We’ve all been clear that the mood music and progress made is such that we should be thinking about ways to take this forward, not ways to terminate it. 4.20pm GMT16:20 Kelly Niknejad of the Tehran Bureau sends this analysis of how Iranian newspapers reported the talks this morning, before the announcement that the midnight deadline would be pushed back to June 2015: The conservative Kayhan and Javan both reported, on the first page, on a small student demonstration in front of Tehran’s centre for nuclear research. The students, opposing the negotiations, demanded that there be no stop to nuclear development. Kayhan’s main headline is a paraphrased Obama quote, declaring that the US position on sanctions is non-negotiable. More progressive papers such as Sharq have adopted a cautious but optimistic attitude, making no predictions while hinting at the possibility of better understanding between the two sides. The official paper of the Rouhan’s government, ‘Iran’, has merely emphasised the significant presence of the various foreign ministers at the negotiations. One of Rouhani’s main campaign promises was that Iran will once again conduct its nuclear negotiations at the highest diplomatic level, the Ahmadinejad government having been progressively snubbed by its Western counterparts. 4.10pm GMT16:10 New agency AFP has this update on the delay to John Kerry’s press conference: Iranian foreign minister Mohammed Javad Zarif and his US counterpart John Kerry held a last encounter in Vienna on Monday despite the international failure to strike a nuclear deal, a US diplomat said. Kerry and Zarif, who appeared to get along well, held about one hour of talks during their eighth meeting in the Austrian capital since they arrived here last week, the state department official said. Kerry, the secretary of state, was due later to give a press conference to hundreds of journalists who covered the talks between six powers and Iran that had sought to secure a historic nuclear deal by midnight Monday. But officials said the powers – the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany – failed to bridge gaps with Iran and decided instead to give themselves seven more months to reach agreement. Such an agreement is aimed at easing fears that Tehran will develop nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian activities, an ambition Iran denies. I’ll have live updates from the Kerry press conference when it does get started. 4.03pm GMT16:03 Laurence Norman, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, has these comments from French foreign minister Laurent Fabius on the end to today’s talks: #Irantalks Quote @LaurentFabius "During the last days, some new ideas have been introduced.They obviously need a very technical examination" #Irantalks @LaurentFabius "For France, the goal remains the same: 2 try..2 find an agreement that goes in the direction of peace & security" And my colleague Julian Borger has this from the German foreign minister, Frank Walter Steinmeier: German FM Steinmeier hints other states had a say at #IranTalksVienna: “We bear responsibility not just for us six but for many states...1/2 Steinmeier 2/2 ..in the world that have legitimate security concerns about the development of the Iranian nuclear program," #IranTalksVienna Steinmeier says “nobody came out of these negotiations feeling depressed”. Updated at 4.06pm GMT 3.27pm GMT15:27 British foreign secretary Philip Hammond has left Palais Coburg in Vienna, where the talks have been taking place; Stuart Hughes, the BBC’s senior world affairs producer, snapped this picture. John Kerry’s press conference has been further delayed. 3.23pm GMT15:23 Analysis: who came out ahead? Simon Tisdall, the Guardian’s foreign affairs columnist, has been observing the Iran talks and sends this analysis of today’s developments: While those governments and leaders favouring a deal did not exactly lose in Vienna, it is clear who came out ahead: the conservative rejectionists and clerical last-ditchers who dominate Tehran’s political establishment, parliament and media; the mostly Republican hardliners in the US Congress who oppose agreement at any price; Israel’s leadership and the Gulf Arab monarchies, who distrust everything Tehran says; and Islamist Sunni extremists in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere, who exploit differences between Shia Iran and the west to pursue their vicious hegemonist fantasies. Negotiators representing the Obama administration, Britain, and European governments can justifiably claim important progress was made in narrowing gaps in the nine months that followed last year’s interim agreement. But of greater significance is the sense that a window, briefly opened after the 2013 election of the centrist Hassan Rouhani as Iranian president, is now closing, and that a unique opportunity for an historic rapprochement has been, or is about to be missed. Those countries and groups opposing a deal can now be expected to intensify their efforts to kill the extended talks, while simultaneously blaming supposed Iranian intransigence and bad faith and the naivety of Barack Obama and other western leaders for the failure to achieve a breakthrough. Their argument is that a safe, sustainable and effective nuclear deal with Iran was always an impossible dream, and the latest failure to agree simply proves that contention. You can read the full analysis here. Updated at 3.33pm GMT 3.04pm GMT15:04 Iranian officials at #IranTalksVienna saying there was a change in western stance Sunday. In AM talking details. In PM talking extension. "There was a change of course on Sunday. We don't know why," said an Iranian official talking about #IranTalksVienna Updated at 3.10pm GMT 3.03pm GMT15:03 There are reports that John Kerry and Iranian foreign minister Zarif are meeting again ahead of the secretary of state’s press conference. These reporters could be waiting a while longer to hear from him: 2.45pm GMT14:45 It is expected that US secretary of state John Kerry will make a statement in Vienna soon. (Incidentally, US defence secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to step down at some point today – you can read more about that here.) Iranian news agencies have confirmed that President Rouhani will make his address to the nation at 6pm GMT. 2.40pm GMT14:40 The German foreign minister, Frank Walter Steinmeier, has spoken to reporters, repeating assurances by Hammond and Lavrov that progress has been made, despite the delay: FM #Steinmeier cont.: Have made progress in #IranTalksVienna, but need to close remaining gaps. 2/2 #IranTalks #Iran AM #Steinmeier beim Doorstep vor dem Coburg #IranTalksVienna pic.twitter.com/gPnhuaKpSJ 2.00pm GMT14:00 Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani will give a televised address to the Iranian people later on Monday, the state news agency IRNA has said; it’s not clear at what time that will be. 1.53pm GMT13:53 Julian Borger, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, files this from Vienna: Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme have been extended until the end of June next year, but with the hope that a broad framework agreement will be agreed with three months, Britain’s foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, said today. Speaking after the conclusion of a week of talks in Vienna between six world powers and Iran, Hammond said the two sides had made ‘significant progress’, but had fallen short of meeting today’s deadline to reach a comprehensive agreement. However, he insisted that the negotiations would continue with the same intensity, resuming next month. ‘I think we’re all clear that we need to take the momentum that has been generated over the last month or so and we need to keep moving with it. We can’t afford to stop now,’ Hammond said. ‘All parties agreed we would maintain momentum, that the negotiations will go on. There will be further meetings in December and our clear target is to reach a headline agreement, an agreement on substance in the next three months or so.’ Arrangements agreed a year ago, to stop an escalation of the nuclear crisis by freezing the Iranian programme and sanctions, will be extended until June 30. But Hammond stressed that the aim was to secure a broad accord well before that, leaving the remaining time to iron out technical details for a final formal agreement. ‘I think we are beginning to understand each other and each other’s positions and the challenges that we all face. Everyone is going to have to show some flexibility to get an agreeement,’ Hammond said. Updated at 1.54pm GMT 1.44pm GMT13:44 Here’s more of Philip Hammond’s statement announcing the extension to the deadline: We have made some significant progress … but we need expert analysis before we can be clear about the impact of the proposals that have been made. We have had to conclude it is not possible to get to a comprehensive agreement today, so we have agreed to extend the JPOA [joint plan of action] until June 30, 2015, but we want to be very clear that that does not mean there will be a lull in the negotiations. All parties agreed we would maintain momentum, that the negotiations will go on. There will be further meetings in December and our clear target is to reach a headline agreement, an agreement on substance in the next three months or so. 1.40pm GMT13:40 Reuters files this speedy updated report on the news that the Iran talks deadline has been extended to June 2015: Iran and six world powers will extend through the end of June 2015 talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme after failing to clinch a final agreement that could end a 12-year atomic dispute, British foreign secretary Philip Hammond said on Monday. He told reporters that Iran and the powers ‘made some significant progress’ in the latest round of talks, which began last Tuesday in the Austrian capital. Hammond added that there was a clear target to reach a ‘headline agreement’ of substance within the next three months and talks would resume next month. It is unclear where next month’s talks will take place, he said, noting that during the extension period, Tehran will be able to continue to access around $700m (£450m) per month in sanctions relief. An Iranian official confirmed the extension. 1.35pm GMT13:35 Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is also making a statement in Vienna. He says “considerable progress” has been made, but they were unable to reach a final agreement. He says he expects the parties involved in the talks to have thrashed out the “basic principles” of an agreement within three to four months. 1.31pm GMT13:31 Hammond: ‘no lull in negotiations’ UK foreign sec Hammond at #IranTalksVienna: extension.. does not mean there will be a lull in the negotiations... UK for sec Hammond at #IranTalksVienna All parties agreed we would maintain momentum,that the negotiations will go on. Updated at 1.36pm GMT 1.25pm GMT13:25 Philip Hammond is still speaking in Vienna: We have made significant progress – we can’t afford to stop now. We are beginning to understand each other. 1.24pm GMT13:24 And it appears there will be a shift in sanctions against Tehran: UK forsec Hammond at #IranTalksVienna Existing arrangements will til end of June. Iran will draw $700 million of unfrozen assets per month 1.23pm GMT13:23 Talks will resume in December, the UK’s Philip Hammond confirms, with plans for a headline agreement within three months; the final deadline has been shifted to 30 June 2015. 1.18pm GMT13:18 Talks extended to June 2015, says Hammond The UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond, speaking in Vienna, has confirmed an agreement to prolong the talks past tonight’s midnight deadline to the end of June 2015. Hammond said “significant progress” had been made in this most recent round of talks. UK foreign sec Hammond: Talks extended to June 30 but aim for headline agreement on substance within 3 months 1.07pm GMT13:07 Associated Press news agency says tonight’s midnight deadline could instead extend to July 2015: A well-placed Western diplomat says that elements are falling into place for an agreement to allow talks on Iran’s nuclear program to continue for more than seven months. The diplomat told the Associated Press that a broad agreement should be completed by March 1, with the final details worked out by July 1. The diplomat is familiar with the discussions now in progress on how to continue the negotiations past the original deal deadline of Monday midnight. Such a deal would likely outline what needs to be done by both sides to reach a final deal, and over what time frame. We are expecting a statement from Vienna fairly soon; I’ll have updates here. Updated at 1.18pm GMT 1.02pm GMT13:02 As waiting reporters in Vienna anticipate statements from UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond, Julian Borger tells me: The press tent here has been set up in front of the Coburg hotel, where the talks have been underway for the past week. The square is named after Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism, which has been the source of some amusement and unease among the very many Iranian journalists inside. 1.01pm GMT13:01 It would be foolhardy to read too much into a photograph, but the foreign ministers of Germany, France and China seem much less cheerful here than Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. 12.50pm GMT12:50 Julian Borger sends me this update from Vienna, where ministers are getting ready to leave the talks: The final ministerial meeting has wrapped up now and the ministers are making preparations to leave. As the temperature plunges in Vienna, there is a prevailing sense of anti-climax that this long, convoluted diplomatic process is going to be drawn out further. The concern for the diplomats here is that the longer the negotiations continue, the greater the chance they will be derailed by hardliners in the US and Iran. A new Republican-dominated Congress will take its seats in early January and could well impose new sanctions. 12.33pm GMT12:33 Talks likely to resume in December: reports The Guardian’s diplomatic editor Julian Borger reports from Vienna as the talks head seemingly inexorably towards an extension of the midnight deadline: Negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme are likely to be extended, with a resumption next month, according to western diplomats at the talks in Vienna. An extension would mean the final week of scheduled talks, due to end at midnight on Monday, had failed to achieve a breakthrough. Possible venues for a further round include Vienna and Muscat, the Omani capital. However, it was not clear whether the Iranian delegation, led by foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, had agreed to such a long delay. ‘What I know is there is no Iranian agreement yet on the extension,’ one Iranian official said, saying a delay of only a few days would be more acceptable to Tehran. If an extension is announced, it is unclear whether it would be accompanied by a formal statement on progress by the foreign ministers. Both the US and Iran are under heavy pressure from conservatives at home to win concessions from the other side. The sticking points at the Vienna negotiations are believed to be the uranium enrichment capacity that Iran would be permitted for the duration of a deal, and the sequence of and speed at which sanctions would be lifted. 12.25pm GMT12:25 And here is the latest group photo with Iranian foreign minister Zarif in the centre: Sec. @JohnKerry, FS Hammond, FM Lavrov, FM Zarif, FM Steinmeier, FM Fabius, Baroness Ashton, FM Wang #IranTalksVienna pic.twitter.com/Uonz7J5GkO 12.18pm GMT12:18 Reuters news agency reports that talks are expected to adjourn today ahead of the midnight deadline, possibly until December: Iran and six world powers are expected to break off negotiations on Monday and meet again next month after missing a deadline to clinch a final deal to resolve their 12-year standoff over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, diplomatic sources said. Details about the resumption of negotiations were still being worked out, though one source said on condition of anonymity that Iran could not expect any new sanctions relief for the time being. Possible venues could include Vienna and Oman, one of the sources said, though nothing had been decided. ‘Given progress made this weekend, talks headed to likely extension with experts and negotiating teams reconvening in December at a yet-to-be-determined location,’ a Western diplomat said in an email. The diplomat declined to be identified. ‘Some progress has been made,’ said another diplomat involved in the talks. ‘But we need to discuss some issues with our capitals. We will meet again before the new year. This is an ongoing process.’ Some Iranian media have also reported on the possibility of an extension of the negotiations. Sources close to the talks told Reuters a formal extension of an interim deal agreed a year ago in Geneva was being discussed, though it was unclear how long the negotiations would be prolonged. A formal extension of the negotiations would likely require new commitments on both sides – additional limited sanctions relief for Iran and new commitments on curbing nuclear work. It became increasingly clear during a week of intensive negotiations between that what officials close to the talks have been predicting privately for weeks will likely be correct: barring a last-minute decision by Iran to compromise, a final deal is still too far off to hammer out by the deadline later on Monday. Some Western officials have described two possible options for a likely rollover. Under one scenario, described as the ‘stop the clock option’, the talks would simply break off and experts would reconvene in a few weeks. A lengthier option would be a formal extension into next year, adding new elements to an interim accord from last year. 12.12pm GMT12:12 US secretary of state John Kerry has tweeted a – not enormously informative – update on progress in Vienna: Met w #Ashton & fellow P5+1 members @LaurentFabius @GermanyDiplo FM Steinmeier, @PHammondMP @mfa_russia FM Lavrov + FM Wang #IranTalksVienna 12.09pm GMT12:09 Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been talking to the BBC about reports that talks in Vienna are set to be adjourned today. His office has posted a clip of the interview to YouTube: No deal is better than a bad deal. The deal that Iran was pushing for was terrible. The deal would have left Iran with the ability to enrich uranium for an atom bomb while removing the sanctions. The right deal that is needed is to dismantle Iran’s capacity to make atomic bombs and only then dismantle the sanctions. Since that’s not in the offing, this result [the reported adjournment of talks until December] is better, a lot better … The fact that there’s no deal now gives an opportunity to continue the economic pressures that have proven to be the only thing that brought Iran to the table. To continue them, to toughen them – I think that’s the road that has to be taken. But of course, Israel is watching very carefully what is happening here. Israel always, always reserves the right to defend itself. 11.59am GMT11:59 The talks themselves might be behind closed doors but the social media teams for the participants are shedding some light – on seating plans, at least. This one is from the Germany foreign ministry: Inside #IranTalksVienna: E3+3 partners and #EU’s Lady #Ashton are now negotiating w/ #Iran’s FM @JZarif. pic.twitter.com/lRJkc0jGVy 11.51am GMT11:51 Kelly Niknejad, editor in chief of Tehran Bureau, reports on the mood in Iran via a correspondent there: Javad, 55, taxi driver It’s a joke. If you want to reach an agreement, agree, damn it. You’ve been making a fool of the nation for an entire year. They keep saying, today or tomorrow. This time, I won’t get excited either way. This is their politics, how [the regime] is playing us. This is how they’re keeping us quiet for the time being. Alireza, 40, gold seller in Karim Khan, downtown Tehran Well, we’ve been sitting here waiting all morning for news from Vienna. Let’s see what the hell happens. We’re still optimistic that our dear Zarif will finish the job today. But the news doesn’t seem to be going that way. Looks like the sanctions will continue to hover over us. Golareh, 23, medical student, north central Tehran Looks like we’re close to a deal, but they seem to need time to figure out the details. I’m hoping a deal will be reached tonight so we can celebrate. But I won’t lose hope if it doesn’t happen. It not today, it will be worked out a month from now. 11.41am GMT11:41 The Tehran Bureau files this round-up of Iranian media views on the talks: Rushing into an agreement is an experience that shouldn’t be repeated,’ wrote Hossein Shamsian in his editorial in Kayhan on 22 November. ‘Moreover, Vienna is a battle of wills and not a place to practise or learn the ropes; neither is it the time for unwarranted optimism. We therefore cannot allow the Iranian negotiators to submit to an agreement lacking a true legal framework or any real guarantee that the other side will adhere to it.’ Ahmad Jannati, chairman of Iran’s Guardian Council of the Constitution, used his Friday sermon last week to send a warning to the negotiators: ‘Don’t be taken advantage of!’ he said. ‘I don’t know what else to say about the nuclear issue; in truth I don’t know all the details. Some aspects of the issue can be talked about openly and others cannot, and perhaps it is better that they are not. Not everything is up for discussion.’ Mohammad Reza Naqadi, commander of the Basij paramilitary force, spoke recently about the negotiations to Raja News, a media outlet close to the fundamentalist Front of Islamic Revolution Stability. ‘In an effort to assuage our enemies, Iran has foregone selling surplus enriched uranium, but we must be able to produce enough to meet our own needs,’ he said. ‘As one of the Imams said in a recent Friday sermon, we must give the Iranian negotiators credit for even sitting down at a table across from the savage Americans. The Iranian negotiators have said that they entered the negotiations if the other side respected our right to develop nuclear energy and removed the sanctions. If the sanctions are not dropped, there really is no point to any negotiations at all.’ 11.29am GMT11:29 Dr Abbas Milani, director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University, tells Tehran Bureau contributor Flannery Becker: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei wants it both ways: Khamenei recognises that the Iranian economy is in a tailspin and that the only way out is through sanction relief. At the same time, Khamenei must weigh the interests of his critical but waning group of supporters, significant parts of which have benefited from the sanctions. This morning Khamenei’s Twitter account – yes, he also is not affected by Iran’s social media blackout – posted this YouTube clip of a speech he gave in 2013 referencing the talks. In it, Khamenei says: We approve of the efforts that the honourable administration and the officials of the country are making. This is an important task and experience and it is most probably a valuable course of action. They can do this. If they achieve results, then so much the better. But if they do not achieve results, this should mean that the county must stand on its own feet in order to solve its problems. 11.25am GMT11:25 Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has reportedly now joined the group of six world powers for further talks. 11.08am GMT11:08 The German foreign office reports that the six world powers – from right to left, below, the representatives of Germany, China, France, UK, US and Russia; plus chair of the talks Catherine Ashton – are meeting now. (E3+3 is the European three of Germany, France and the UK, plus the three other powers, US, China and Russia.) #IranTalksVienna: E3+3 partners + Lady #Ashton are now meeting to discuss progress of #Nucleartalks w/ #Iran pic.twitter.com/0HqEbUK47B 10.59am GMT10:59 Meanwhile, from Israel, Peter Beaumont reports on fears that any deal allowing Iran to continue developing its nuclear capabilities could pose a threat to stability in the Middle East: As the talks have run up to the deadline with no deal in sight Israel has continued to campaign fiercely against what he fears would be a ‘bad deal’. Addressing his Cabinet on Sunday, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had been following the talks with ‘concern’. ‘We are presenting them with a firm stance that Iran should not be allowed to become a nuclear threshold state. There is no reason it should be allowed to retain thousands of centrifuges, which would allow it to enrich uranium for a nuclear bomb in a short amount of time. ‘There is also no reason for Iran to continue developing intercontinental missiles that can carry nuclear warheads and threaten the entire world. Therefore, no deal would be preferable to a bad deal that threatens Israel, the Middle East and all of humanity.’ Developing his theme with ABC later in the day, he added that Israel did not ‘know if there is going to be a deal between Iran and the six world powers. We must not dismantle sanctions before we dismantle Iran’s capacity to produce a nuclear bomb.’ Speaking on Israel Radio on Monday, Netanyahu said Israel was doing all it could to prevent a bad agreement from being signed in Vienna between the world powers and Iran, an agreement that would leave Iran with the ability to ‘endanger everything’. While Israel has continued to lobby against any deal that would leave Iran as a ‘threshold nuclear power’, officials no longer see a deal as imminent, anticipating an extension. That in turn has seen some leading lobby groups, such as AIPAC, America’s pro-Israel group, hold fire in its efforts in Congress for now. 10.56am GMT10:56 Kelly Niknejad, editor in chief of Tehran Bureau, reports on the mood in Iran via a correspondent there: Overall, most people I speak to want the talks to be successful. They’re all very tired of the status quo. Rampant inflation has frustrated everyone. Even though the economy isn’t as bad as it was under Ahmadinejad, it’s still in shambles. This group believes if the negotiations are successful, sanctions will be lifted as well and everything will get better. They are really wedded to the idea of the talks going well and sanctions being lifted. A more educated faction and those who follow the news more carefully are less optimistic. They don’t believe an agreement will come about so quickly. They believe there will be another extension of the deadline. This group has faith in the economic management of Rouhani’s team, but sanctions have paralyzed so many areas of the economy that it will take a lot to get it improving again. If there is an agreement today, I think people will take to the streets in joy. President Hassan Rouhani has taken to Instagram (he is a prolific user of social media, despite a general ban on Twitter in Iran) to post a picture of himself and the word “hope”: 10.40am GMT10:40 Julian Borger’s latest report from Vienna is here. He also tweets that Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is looking cheerful at the talks this morning: Big smile on Zarif RT @Hosseindalirian: @JZarif #وین #IranTalksVienna pic.twitter.com/AcbSaMV2uV #twinklewatch Updated at 10.40am GMT 10.37am GMT10:37 Julian Borger reports from Vienna that there is increasing talk of an extension to the midnight deadline: The US secretary of state, John Kerry, will hold a critical face-to-face meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, this morning in Vienna, hours before a deadline expires for a nuclear agreement. Diplomats at the Vienna talks said that if a last-minute compromise was going to be put on the table to break the deadlock, it would be this morning. ‘If this is about brinksmanship, this is the brink,’ one western diplomat said. The deadline set by the seven nations at the negotiations is midnight tonight, but there is increasing talk of an extension. The Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, joined the seven-nation talks for the first time this morning, flying in overnight from Beijing, and announcing he had new proposals for bridging the gaps between Iran and the West over curbs on the Iranian programme and the lifting of sanctions. Wang met Zarif for an early breakfast and then Kerry. The foreign ministers of all the countries negotiating with Iran – the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia and China – will hold a meeting to coordinate a final common position. They will later be joined by Zarif for a plenary session that will most likely decide whether to extend the talks, or try at least to agree a political agreement that would serve as a statement of intent to conclude an agreement in the coming weeks. Asked about the chances of an agreement of any sort today, an Iranian official said today: ‘I hope we can. It depends on the mandate of the other side. Iran is ready.’ Reuters reports that Wang has expressed hope that a deal will be secured today: An agreement was still possible on Monday, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi said in a statement on the ministry’s website. Wang also cautioned the countries might have to discuss whether to postpone the talks due to ‘a large number of professional and technical issues that still require careful and complex discussion’. He added: ‘I think the parties, including Iran, have the political will to reach an agreement. Through concerted efforts by the parties, [we] will eventually reach an agreement to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.’ China ‘hopes to push for a comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue that will be in line with the interests of Iran and the international community,’ Wang told Zarif, the ministry said in a separate statement. 10.31am GMT10:31 Who's who in Vienna The talks are being chaired by Catherine Ashton, the former EU high representative for foreign affairs. At the heart of negotiations are the US secretary of state, John Kerry, and the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, both of whom face pressure to strike a deal they can sell to sceptical opponents back home. Also present are representatives of the other world powers – the five permanent members of the UN security council (the US, UK, China, Russia, France), plus Germany: Although Saudi Arabia is not taking part in the talks, the Saudi foreign minister, Saud al-Faisal, flew to Vienna on Sunday for a meeting with Kerry. The US has been keen to consult with the Saudis throughout negotiations, as the kingdom’s fraught relationship with Iran could be key to maintaining any deal. 10.27am GMT10:27 Iran talks: how did we get here? An excellent place to start to get quickly up to speed on why the talks in Vienna are taking place – and why securing some sort of agreement by Monday’s midnight deadline is so crucial – is this briefing by the Guardian’s diplomatic editor Julian Borger and Saeed Kamali Dehghan: A deal would curb the Iranian programme – to reassure the rest of the world that Tehran does not intend to build nuclear weapons – in return for sanctions relief. Success would diminish the threat of a new war in the Middle East and significantly improve US-Iranian relations after a 35-year freeze. That in turn could lead to better cooperation in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond. Inside Iran, the lifting of sanctions would immeasurably strengthen the hand of pragmatists, led by the president, Hassan Rouhani, who want to re-engage with the west. At the heart of today’s talks are Iran’s nuclear capabilities (which other world powers want to see drastically curbed) and sanctions (which Iran wants lifted). I’ve taken this helpful guide from the Guardian briefing: Enrichment and breakout The central focus of a deal revolves around the concept of breakout capacity – the ability to assemble a nuclear bomb quickly, within a few weeks or months – which depends on numbers of centrifuges. The more centrifuges Iran has, the quicker it could make the highly enriched uranium (HEU) necessary for a warhead, if it took the decision to make weapons. Western and Israeli concerns centre on the possibility that Iran could install enough centrifuges to be able to reconfigure them and make a bomb’s worth of HEU before the international watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), noticed and before the west and Israel had time to react. The US starting position in the talks was that Iran should only have capacity equivalent to about 4,000 of its centrifuges in their current design, so it would take between six months and a year to “break out”. At the moment Iran has 19,000 centrifuges installed, though just over half are functioning. Iran’s position is that it needs many more for its future nuclear energy programme, and will not contemplate reducing its existing capacity. A compromise will have to be found on this central issue for a deal to be possible. Sanctions In return, Iran would require a lifting of sanctions. Much of the discussion has focused on how that would be phased. A stumbling block has been the fact that the Obama administration cannot promise to lift sanctions imposed by Congress. All Obama can offer at the start of a deal is a temporary waiver. Currently the western offer consists of presidential waivers and the unfreezing of blocked Iranian assets in the west. Rouhani’s team says he needs more than that in order to satisfy the Iranian people that an agreement is worthwhile. The Iranians want an early lifting of UN security council sanctions, of an EU oil embargo and of a block on Iran using the international electronic payments system Swift. Today’s deadline was the result of an interim deal secured a year ago: you can read about that here. For all the latest reporting on Iran, see here and for independent coverage, hosted by the Guardian, from the Tehran Bureau, click here. 10.22am GMT10:22 Morning summary Today – Monday 24 November – marks the deadline for Iran and six world powers (the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia and China) to reach agreement on the curtailing of Iran’s nuclear capabilities and the lifting of UN, US and EU sanctions against Tehran. The midnight Monday deadline is a self-imposed one, agreed as part of an interim deal last November. But there is pressure for the talks in Vienna to produce a breakthrough today after nine months of twisty negotiations. The UK foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, said on Sunday evening that there would be a “last big push” to secure a deal, but as the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Julian Borger, reports from Vienna, the shape of that deal is still unclear: Western diplomats said that achieving a comprehensive deal in the last 24 hours was looking increasingly difficult, but added that none of the seven countries represented in Vienna was willing to allow the negotiations to collapse given the progress that had been made and the dire consequences of failure for Middle East stability. They said the talks could be given extra time, but it was unclear whether the foreign ministers in Vienna would sign a framework agreement, leaving some details to be worked out later, as proof of progress. Another, less ambitious option, would be for them to issue a political statement of intent which resolved few, if any, of the remaining contentious issues, but which envisaged concluding a deal in the future. In the last few minutes, the Reuters news agency has reported that the talks could be adjourned after the two sides failed to secure a deal. Iran and six world powers could reconvene next month, possibly in Oman, a source close to the talks reportedly told Reuters. You can follow Julian Borger’s updates from Vienna here on the liveblog today and on Twitter: @julianborger. I’ll be updating this liveblog throughout Monday as the deadline approaches, and posting key developments on Twitter, @Claire_Phipps. Updated at 10.29am GMT |