UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United States and five other major powers are closer than ever to a deal with Iran that would end a 12-year-old nuclear standoff, though more tough negotiations lie ahead, US Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday.
Kerry was speaking at the United Nations on the opening day of a month-long conference taking stock of the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and ahead of a meeting in New York with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, their first face-to-face encounter since recent marathon talks in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Zarif and Kerry, who met yesterday at the Iranian UN Ambassador’s residence across from Central Park, were expected to discuss efforts to secure a final agreement between Iran and the six powers by a June 30 deadline.
“We are, in fact, closer than ever to the good, comprehensive deal that we have been seeking, and if we can get there, the entire world will be safer,” Kerry told the 191 NPT parties, adding that bringing Iran back into compliance with the pact was always at the heart of negotiations with Tehran.
“If finalized and implemented, (an agreement) will close off all of Iran’s possible pathways to the nuclear material required for a nuclear weapon and give the international community the confidence that it needs to know that Iran’s nuclear program is indeed exclusively peaceful,” he said.
Kerry added, however, that “the hard work is far from over and some key issues remain unresolved.”
In remarks to Iranian state television upon his arrival in New York, Zarif echoed the concerns about unresolved issues in the talks with the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.
“Beside taking part in the conference, we have come here to listen to Americans’ explanations on the US administration’s undertakings and its domestic policies,” Zarif said.
“We consider the US government responsible for fulfilling its international commitments under international laws,” he said. “No government can evade such commitments because of its domestic issues.”
