Iran Nuclear Talks: Kerry, Zarif Locked in Meetings as Deadline Looms

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart were in nonstop negotiations Sunday with just 48-hours to go before their latest deadline for a nuclear deal — negotiations he acknowledged “could go either way.”

 

Kerry and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sat down at around 10:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. ET) local time in Vienna for talks, taking just a short 30-minute break before resuming meetings in the early afternoon.

 

Kerry addressed the press during a brief news conference at about 5 p.m. (11 a.m. ET) Sunday before several more foreign ministers were expected to join the talks.

 

“We have in fact made genuine progress (but) we are not yet where we need to be on several of the most difficult issues,” Kerry said. “While I completely agree with Foreign Minister Zarif that we have never been closer — at this point, this negotiation could go either way.”

 

The pressure is mounting: Iran and six world powers have set a Tuesday deadline for a comprehensive deal on Tehran’s nuclear program. The U.S. — along with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — want curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

 

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