Iran nuclear talks deadline extended to July 10

Iran will have greater resources if this deal goes through to do its nefarious work throughout the region, to try to increase its hegemony in the region, and we’ll have to adopt a stronger containment strategy along with our Gulf allies to meet that challenge.

Mr Obama, speaking at the Pentagon, said the United States would continue to crack down on Isil’s illicit finance operations around the world.

Kerry and Zarif were involved in a tense exchange over United Nations sanctions on Monday night, diplomats said. “There is no evidence that the arms embargo has any relation with the nuclear issue”, the official said. It was the fifth time since 2013 – and the second time in this round of talks – that negotiators have missed their own target date as talks have bogged down.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the Senate’s majority whip, said that while senators are “anxiously awaiting news” from the talks, the potential deal “doesn’t look particularly promising”.

American officials insisted this week that the sides “have never been closer” to sealing up a deal that would scale back Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from crippling worldwide sanctions.

The most divisive issue appeared to be the question of continuing the arms embargo and restrictions on technology that could be used for missiles, imposed in two United Nations security council resolutions in 2007 and 2010.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was “every reason” to believe a deal would be done within “a few days”, and that there was an “understanding” that most of the current sanctions against Iran would be lifted. But disagreements persisted as the sides moved close to the new Tuesday deadline, and White House spokesman Josh Earnest said another extension was “certainly possible.”Negotiators had previously mentioned the mechanics of curbing Irans nuclear programs and the time and pacing of economic sanctions relief as the most contentious problems. “They say there is no reason to connect it with the nuclear issue, a view that is hard to accept”, an unnamed Western official told Reuters. “We have just made one, final extension”. If Kerry fails to hand over a deal by the end of Thursday, USA lawmakers will get 60 days instead of 30 to review it, potentially making it even more complicated to implement.

Araghchi said there were only two or three main points blocking a deal, adding “the main text of the accord is nearly finished, and there are only a few remaining brackets where ministers need to take a political decision”.

“No deadline is sacred to us”.

Iranian officials, for example, say they want a means of recourse in case the six world powers don’t live up to their end of the bargain. “It’s day to day”, said the official, who could not be further identified under the rules of the briefing.

“We are continuing to negotiate for the next couple of days”, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told reporters during a break from the negotiations in Vienna, effectively stopping the clock. Another approach, which might not satisfy Iran, would delay a lifting of the embargoes until some later, arbitrary milestone is reached, Vaez said.