BICOM

US Under Secretary Wendy Sherman, one of Washington’s chief nuclear negotiators cautioned yesterday that a long-term deal with Iran remains in the balance and that Tehran’s destabilising regional role could hinder its progress.

Iran and the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) agreed a framework to a comprehensive deal a few weeks ago, paving the way for negotiations to begin over the details of a potential accord, which must be agreed by June. However, both sides have since emphasised differing aspects of the nascent deal, indicating that a final agreement remains far off.

Sherman yesterday added a further cautionary voice, telling potential investors in Iran that they should not yet increase their trade ties. She told Reuters during a visit to India, “I would say [to interested investors] ‘hold your horses’. We are not quite to an agreement yet.”

Sherman expressed particular concern over Iran’s regional influence, saying, “We are still quite concerned about state-sponsored terrorism, we are quite concerned about human rights, we are quite concerned by what is happening in Yemen, what’s happening in Syria, other parts of the world, Lebanon.” She added that, “There are a lot of details that have to be worked out, and there are a lot of events happening in the world, and those events could derail the agreement.” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vociferously opposed the framework deal, in particular calling for an eventual agreement to be directly linked to Iran’s support for terror and military ambitions.

Meanwhile, Sherman was also asked if sanctions against Iran would be lifted as soon as an agreement is signed. She replied that, “It will take some time, even after an agreement, for all the implementation to be worked out.” This appears to contradict the Iranian position which has called for an immediate end to restrictions. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif yesterday said that the entire process to end sanctions should take “only a few weeks” following a deal.