US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday said talks with Iran had made genuine progress and the time had come to make hard decisions in reaching a deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was quoted by state news agency Irna as saying there was “nothing that cannot be resolved” between the parties, who seek a deal by the end of June.
“In this round of talks, shared points of view emerged in some of the areas where there had been a difference of opinion, which can be a foundation for a final agreement,” Rouhani said.
Speaking after week-long negotiations with Iran in the Swiss city of Lausanne, Kerry said he would meet European counterparts in London to try to resolve remaining sticking points. He said talks will resume next week to see whether a deal was possible.
“We are not rushing ... but we recognise that fundamental decisions have to be made now and they don’t get any easier as time goes by,” Kerry said. “It is time to make hard decisions.
The West suspects Iran of seeking the ability to produce nuclear weapons and the United Nations has imposed stringent economic sanctions on Tehran; Iran says its programme is intended only for peaceful purposes, such as medical technology and nuclear energy, and wants the swift lifting of sanctions.
Meanwhile, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday accused the United States of using economic pressure and “bullying” to try to turn Iranians against Islamic rule, underscoring his long-held mistrust of Tehran’s main negotiating partner in nuclear talks.
Amid shouts of ‘Death to America’, Khamenei, who has the last word on all matters of state, added in a speech that Tehran was negotiating with major powers solely on the nuclear dispute and not about regional matters, an apparent reference to conflicts and instability in Iraq, Syria and the Gulf.
His speech, which repeatedly hit out at Western sanctions, attacked “arrogant powers” – a reference to major Western countries – for what he said was their role in bringing about a fall in the oil price by more than half in recent months.
Speaking in the north eastern city of Mashhad, he said “enemies” sought to turn Iranians against the Islamic Republic, founded by a 1979 revolution that toppled Shah Reza Pahlavi.
A man in the audience shouted “Death to America”, a cry taken up by the crowd.
Khamenei continued: “Of course yes, death to America, because America is the original source of this pressure. They insist on putting pressure on our dear people’s economy. What’s their goal? Their goal is to put the people against the system.”
The West suspects Iran of seeking the ability to produce nuclear weapons and the United Nations has imposed stringent economic sanctions on Tehran; Iran says its programme is intended only for peaceful purposes, such as medical technology and nuclear energy, and wants the swift lifting of sanctions.