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Cameron, Iran’s Rouhani speak on the phone as Iran deadline nears

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Prime Minister David Cameron and Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani spoke on the phone for the first time yesterday as the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 are nearing decision time.

Follwing the call, a Downing Street spokesperson said that a deal was “possible”.

“The prime minister emphasized to the president that it was important for everyone to show flexibility on the key elements outstanding in the discussions if a deal is to be achieved” said the spokesperson.

She continued, “The PM made a point that Iran needs to recognize that there are concerns held by the wider international community about whether Iran’s nuclear program is being developed for peaceful purposes and the Iranians needed to take on board that the [P5+1] would need to allay those concerns through any deal”.

The two men also discussed Yemen.

In a diplomatic blitz, President Rouhani called French President Francois Hollande and Russian President Vladimir Putin and reportedly sent letters to all of the P5+1 leaders including US President Barack Obama.

A British diplomat told the Guardian that, “We have made substantial progress in a number of areas but there are still important issues where no agreement has so far been possible. Our task for the next few days is to see whether we can bridge the gaps and arrive at a political framework which could then be turned into an agreement, and that will be a process that could quite a long time because of the complexity of the subject matter.”

According to the Financial Times, Israel’s Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz has been meeting European leaders to warn about the deal. Steinitz warned that the reported details of the deal could enable Iran to develop a nuclear weapon within four to five months.

AP reported yesterday that the P5+1 were prepared to allow Iran to continue enriching uranium at Fordow. Closing the formally-secret nuclear facility at Fordow was originally a key demand of the negotiators. Following the report, US Democratic Senator Robert Menendez attacked the concessions, claiming “we are not inching closer to Iran’s negotiating position, but leaping toward it with both feet.”

Although the deadline for a nuclear agreement is the end of June, most observers expect that at most a political framework deal will be agreed, allowing technical negotiations to continue for months or even years.