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Nuclear talks with Iran clouded by GOP letter Nuclear talks tackle ‘technical’ details as deadline nears
(about 3 hours later)
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The United States and Iran on Tuesday resumed talks that have become clouded by the warnings from Senate Republicans that any possible deal to restrain Tehran’s nuclear program and ease sanctions could be reversed after President Obama leaves office. LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Negotiators for the United States and Iran turned Tuesday to detailed aspects of a possible nuclear agreement as it appeared increasingly likely that talks may bump up against a late March deadline.
Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, following up on almost five hours of talks on Monday, returned to the negotiating table around 8 a.m. Tuesday in this Swiss city. The moves toward fine-tuning a possible pact appeared to display some progress.
The resumption of talks came after Iranian negotiators Monday expressed concern over a letter from Senate Republicans warning that a nuclear deal with Obama might not outlast his time in office. But U.S. and European officials indicate serious gaps still remain to find a formula that would rein in Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions that have strangled the economy.
Both men led a team of negotiators with various fields of expertise. For Kerry, it included Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, Wendy Sherman, the under secretary for political affairs, and Robert Malley of the National Security Council. A senior Obama administration official said some difficult issues still lay ahead before a self-imposed March 31 deadline to reach the general outlines of a deal.
The letter was also raised in meetings Sunday between political and technical experts, said a senior Obama administration official. “We have definitely made progress in terms of identifying technical options for each of the major areas,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity under ground rules for briefing reporters. “There is no way around it. We still have a ways to go.”
[The misguided, condescending letter from Republican senators to Iran] Similar assessments have been made for months now, and there are no indications that the negotiators are preparing to wrap things up in the coming days.
Iranian and U.S. officials have been critical of the 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.
“I’m sure you’ll be shocked to know the Cotton letter came up in the talks,” the senior administration official said with obvious understatement — speaking on the condition of anonymity because of rules for briefing reporters.
The official would not characterize the tenor of the Iranian questions, other than to say 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.”
“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.”
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 its 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 that Tehran wants to eventually build nuclear weapons.
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.
[Read: Crunch time for talks][Read: Crunch time for talks]
“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.” Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, following up on almost five hours of talks on Monday, returned to the negotiating table around 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Comparing the negotiations to lining up the pieces of a Rubik’s Cube, the official added: “You can get very far, and the last pieces are just too hard.” It is uncertain whether any of the foreign ministers in the other five countries negotiating with Iran — Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia — have made plans to come to Lausanne this week.
The official declined to say whether there was more reason for optimism than pessimism but described the pace of the talks as veering wildly, from hour to hour on some days. Such visits would be a clear signal that an agreement was near. Kerry has commitments in Washington early next week, and Zarif is expected to return to Iran on Friday on the eve of Nowruz, the Persian new year that is one of the most important holidays in Iran.
The American and Iranian negotiating teams — while led by Kerry and Zarif — are now filled with technical experts including nuclear physicists and specialists in sanctions and arms control.
For the last three rounds of talks, Kerry has been joined by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who previously headed the physics department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a young teacher when a student named Ali Akbar Salehi was at MIT working toward his PhD in nuclear engineering.
Salhi now heads Iran’s nuclear agency, and has held direct negotiations with Moniz here in Lausanne. Their paths never crossed in Cambridge, however.
The negotiators are juggling various formulas for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. A key element is bolstering advance-warning systems to detect possible breaches by Iran, such as amassing materials needed to build a nuclear warhead.
Iran has maintained its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes like energy and medical testing.
The United States has built a series of models that it uses to test whether each option meets the test to give at least a one-year notice of any possible violations.
The senior administration official said the other countries negotiating alongside the United States also have run their own models, producing similar results. It is unclear what Iranian research shows.
[Fact-checking Obama’s reference to “unprecedented” nuclear inspections ]
“We are always looking at making sure any combination of options viewed as viable offsets our redline of a year breakout,” he said, referring to the time calculated as necessary to build up enough material needed to start building a bomb. “A lot of things are linked. If something is given here, it’s got to be offset somewhere else.”
Another hurdle is deciding the pace at which sanctions would be eased if Iran meets its commitments and allows visits by international nuclear inspectors. Iran has separate sets of sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.
The United States and its European allies want sanctions eased gradually, while Iran is pushing for quicker relief.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that his country would continue to produce more oil and gas despite Western sanctions. On Monday, Iran’s oil minister said the country was prepared to export up to 1 million more barrels of oil a day once sanctions are lifted, though that is not considered enough to have a large impact on oil prices.
Talks resumed Monday after Iranian negotiators Monday expressed concern over a letter from Senate Republicans warning that a nuclear deal with Obama might not outlast his time in office.
“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.”“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.”
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 European Union officials and foreign ministers from the countries negotiating alongside the United States: Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. Daniela Deane in Rome and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.
Daniela Deane in Rome contributed to this report.