Iranian Media Report: US Position on Sanctions Holding Up Nuclear Deal
by JNS.org
JNS.org – An Iranian media report suggests that negotiations over a nuclear deal have been deadlocked due to a U.S. refusal to recognize Iran’s “rights.”
“While the Iranian team is showing flexibility, the Americans are refusing to accept Iran’s obvious right, particularly on sanctions,” Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency quoted an unnamed source as saying, Reuters reported.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that world powers are not in a rush to get a deal done. The negotiations have missed the July 9 deadline set by Congress for a 30-day review period, meaning that a longer 60-day review period will take effect. Iran’s Press TV reported Friday that the nuclear talks might be extended until July 13.
“We’re here because we believe we are making real progress,” Kerry said in Vienna. “We will not rush and we will not be rushed.”
Kerry added that if tough decisions are not made, “we are absolutely prepared to call an end to this process.”
Meanwhile, an official in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said the Jewish state still believes a nuclear deal will get done.
“The nearly complete collapse of the P5+1’s positions in the interim agreement, in the Lausanne framework, and in the current talks almost guarantees that the sides will reach a deal and [that] the world will face a nuclear-armed terrorist state,” the official said according to The Jerusalem Post.