News
Few expectations as P5+1 nuclear talks with Iran get underway
Representatives of the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) and Iranian officials will begin the latest round of talks today in New York aimed at securing a long-term agreement over Tehran’s nuclear development.
However, there appears to be little optimism going into the talks, with a US administration official quoted by AFP saying, “It’s tough, very tough.” Iran and the P5+1 concluded a six-month agreement in Geneva in November, which saw Tehran reduce some of its enrichment capacity in return for a loosening of selected sanctions. However, the two sides were unable to meet a 20 July deadline to broker a longer-term settlement and agreed to extend the talks until 24 November. The negotiations starting today are widely viewed as crucial to the chances of meeting the renewed deadline.
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who heads the P5+1 delegation, will open the talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif. AFP says that ministerial-level talks are also expected, with US Secretary of State John Kerry scheduled to meet Zarif next week.
However, several significant sticking points between the two sides remain, most notably the size and scope of Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity. The P5+1 powers reportedly want Tehran to reduce its number of centrifuges to 5,000 while Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has said that his country needs 190,000 centrifuges. Senior US negotiator, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman this week described the Iranian position on the issue as unacceptable. Meanwhile, Zarif recently complained that the American focus on sanctions was a major stumbling block to a resolution.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman stressed the importance of preventing Iran’s nuclear armament in a meeting in Washington yesterday with John Kerry. Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said recently that it appeared no good deal is currently on the table and that a bad deal is “of course something we are not willing to accept.”