BICOM

A midnight deadline for an outline on a comprehensive nuclear accord between Iran and the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) passed without agreement, with the two sides set to continue talks today.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that agreement is imminent, saying it “will be put on paper in the coming hours or perhaps within one day.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif also indicated that the two sides are on the threshold of agreement, commenting, “I hope that we can finalize the work on Wednesday.”

However, such optimism did not appear to be shared by United States officials. US State Department spokesperson Marie Harf confirmed that talks would continue today, but that, “There are several difficult issues still remaining.” White House spokesperson Josh Earnest warned that, “If we’re not able to reach a political agreement, then we’re not going to wait … until June 30 to walk away,” referring to the deadline for a long-term nuclear accord to be signed.

According to the Times, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei scuppered hopes of meeting last night’s deadline, by insisting that United Nations sanctions be lifted as soon as a deal is agreed. The P5+1 position is phased sanctions relief in tandem with Iranian compliance. Other additional issues are also thought to be outstanding, such as the extent of permitted Iranian nuclear research in years 11-15 of a potential deal, plus the plan for Iran’s existing enriched uranium stockpiles.

US Congress has threatened to consider new sanctions on Iran if this week’s talks prove fruitless, providing a sense of urgency to the negotiations. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that French President Francois Hollande said yesterday that no deal is better than a bad deal.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued to warn against the proposed agreement. Speaking yesterday at the inaugural session of the new Knesset, he said that the deal would mean Iran’s nuclear breakout time “will decrease to under a year, if not less.”