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Iran talks open, breakthrough uncertain Iranian negotiators raise concerns about GOP letter in talks with Kerry
(about 4 hours later)
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Iranian and U.S. negotiators hunkered down for talks Monday amid mixed signals on chances of reaching a breakthrough pact that would rein in Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for easing international sanctions. LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Iranian negotiators meeting with U.S. officials on Monday expressed concern over a letter from Senate Republicans warning that a nuclear deal with President Obama might not outlast his time in office.
“I’m very optimistic,” said Iran’s nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, during a brief garden stroll before rejoining the talks. A senior administration official said the Iranians broached the subject in the almost five hours of discussions led by Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The letter also was raised in meetings held Sunday between political and technical experts, the official said.
German’s foreign minister urged all sides to seize the moment. But Secretary of State John F. Kerry has warned that the United States and world powers negotiating with Iran were ready to walk away if Tehran cannot accept an accord that would satisfy the West and its allies. Iranian and U.S. officials have been critical of the open letter addressed to Iran’s leaders. It was written by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and signed by 46 other Republican senators. Kerry has said its claims that Congress can modify an executive agreement are inaccurate. He also has said that its predictions of a short shelf life for a nuclear deal with Iran undermine his diplomatic efforts.
The latest round — facing an end-of-month deadline to reach an overall framework — opened with potential political twists in the background. “You won’t be surprised to hear, the Cotton letter came up in talks,” the senior administration official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of rules for briefing reporters.
[Crunch time for talks] The official would not characterize the tenor of the Iranian questions, other than to say that they reflected “a concern.” But the official was dismissive of the letter’s overall effect on the talks, labeling it a “distraction, “unhelpful” and “ill informed and ill advised.”
In Washington, Republican senators remain firm on demands for a congressional say in any possible accord. In Israel, elections Tuesday will decide the fate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a chief opponent of a nuclear deal with Iran, who appears to be trailing in the polls. “These negotiations are not about the letter,” the official said. “The negotiations are about whether Iran can make the necessary decisions to assure the world its program is exclusively peaceful.”
Despite the high stakes and a looming deadline, the first day of what is expected to be a full week of talks started almost casually. [Read: The misguided, condescending letter from Republican senators to Iran]
Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif were scheduled to start meeting at 8 a.m. But at that hour, Zarif was still having breakfast with his team in a hotel terrace restaurant with large windows overlooking Lake Geneva. The United States and five other world powers have been negotiating with Iran for almost a year and a half, aiming for a deal that would restrict Iran’s nuclear program. In return, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations would ease sanctions imposed on Iran. Iran says its program is intended for non-military uses, but some countries worry it wants to eventually build nuclear weapons.
Zarif was laughing and appeared relaxed. At 8:05 a.m., he strolled out and the talks started about five minutes later. Now, the negotiators face a self-imposed deadline of March 31, set when an interim agreement was extended in November. The United States wants a signed agreement on the outlines of a final deal, to be completed in late June, but Iran has said it wants only one, final agreement put on paper.
After 15 months of intense discussions, much uncertainty still hangs over negotiations between Iran and six world powers. [Read: Crunch time for talks]
The broad goal is to produce an agreement that would constrict how Iran handles its nuclear program for 10 years or longer. In return, it would see a gradual easing of sanctions imposed by the United States, Europe and the United Nations. “We are trying to get there. But quite frankly, we still do not know if we will be able to,” the administration official said. “Iran still has to make some very tough and necessary choices to address the significant concerns that remain about its nuclear program.”
Iran maintains its nuclear program is used exclusively for peaceful purposes like energy and medical testing. But the West and allies suspect Iran ultimately wants to develop nuclear weapons — or at least refine the capacity to make warhead-grade material. Comparing the negotiations to fitting together the pieces of a Rubik’s Cube, the official added, “You can get very far and the last pieces are just too hard.”
Kerry said over the weekend the United States is working toward a deal that will ensure Iran's nuclear program is "peaceful now, peaceful forever." The official declined to say whether there was more reason for optimism than pessimism but described the pace of talks as veering wildly, some days from hour to hour.
The exact deadline is a matter of some debate. Congress has given the administration until March 24 to come up with an agreement or they will consider imposing new sanctions. “It’s a bit of a roller coaster,” the official said. “One day we feel we may get there. The next day, or hour, we might feel maybe not so much. That’s why it is very difficult and challenging.”
State Department negotiators, however, say they consider the deadline March 31 for a framework, with the final deadline for a complete deal at the end of June. Zarif was in a more upbeat mood, shouting out to reporters, “Finally, finally, we’ll get there,” as he departed for Brussels on Monday afternoon to talk with E.U. officials and foreign ministers from the other countries negotiating alongside the United States: Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany.
An Iranian deputy foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, told Iranian reporters that he expects it will take until April 2 to resolve the outstanding issues. He is expected to return Monday night so talks can resume Tuesday in a hotel where the Lausanne Treaty was signed in 1923, officially dividing the Ottoman Empire.
“That is the point to say that we were able to reach a solution and to open the locks,” Araghchi was quoted by Iran’s Mehr news agency. “Now, three months later, we must continue to end the differences and bridge the gaps. If we conclude the locks still remain in place, we may then decide not to continue.” A sense of urgency permeated the meeting in Brussels.
In Brussels — where Zarif is scheduled to travel later Monday to meet with European officials — British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said significant differences still remain. Federica Mogherini, the E.U. foreign policy chief, said, “We are entering a crucial time, a crucial two weeks.”
"We are closer than we were but we've still got a long way to go," Hammond told reporters. "There are areas where we've made progress, areas where we have yet to make any progress." German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, “We should seize this opportunity.”
German’s foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, urged negotiators to “seize the opportunity.” Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said significant differences still remain.
The talks are being watched closely by many nations besides the six countries involved in the talks: the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. “We are closer than we were, but we’ve still got a long way to go,” he told reporters. “There are areas where we’ve made progress, areas where we have yet to make any progress.”
A member of the Saudi royal family suggested the outcome of the talks could spark a regional race to develop nuclear energy. Read more:
Prince Turki al-Faisal told the BBC that Saudi Arabia and other nations in the Middle East would want the same right to develop a nuclear program that Iran gets in the talks.
"I've always said whatever comes out of these talks, we will want the same," said the prince, who is a former intelligence chief for Saudi Arabia. "So if Iran has the ability to enrich uranium to whatever level, it's not just Saudi Arabia that's going to ask for that."
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab partners consider Iran a major regional rival.
Last year, Saudi officials approved proposals to build nuclear reactors. In the neighboring United Arab Emirates, construction is underway on energy-producing reactors. Both nations insists they have no plans for atomic weapons.
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