BICOM

The White House yesterday acknowledged that today’s deadline to conclude a long-term agreement over Iran’s nuclear programme will be missed but there was speculation that progress has been made regarding the two key issues of inspections and the pace of sanctions relief.

Iran and the P5+1 (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) agreed a framework to a comprehensive nuclear deal in April. This paved the way for negotiations towards a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action which was to be concluded before today’s expiry of an extended interim agreement first signed in November 2013. However, White House spokesman Josh Earnest admitted yesterday that there are sticking points which cannot be “resolved in the next 36 hours. It will require additional time.” Since April, both sides have indicated differences over fundamental issues such as Iran’s use of advanced centrifuges, the pace of sanctions relief and provision for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections.

Media reports though indicate that some gaps are being bridged. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said yesterday, “We have made some progress, but still it is not the end of a process.” US officials told journalists yesterday that the parties were designing a multi-staged process for implementing an agreement. Bloomberg reports that a three-part process has been agreed whereby a lengthy accord will signed which sets out the limits of Iranian enrichment, followed by concurrent concrete steps by Iran to reduce stockpiles and international preparation to ease sanctions, which would only be activated once Iranian moves are verified by the IAEA. US Secretary of State John Kerry met with IAEA head Yukiya Amano yesterday to discuss potential inspections at Iranian sites. However, the Independent says that the issue of inspections remains unresolved.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif met with Kerry on Sunday and returned to Tehran for consultations. He is expected to arrive again in Vienna to continue negotiations today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s arrival also imminent.

Several media reports suggest that although this pivotal round of talks will miss its original deadline, it will be concluded to enable it to be submitted to Congress for review by 9 July. If it is submitted any later, the US Congress will be permitted 60 days to consider an agreement rather than 30, potentially holding back its implementation.