Iran Talks Extended Until 7 July

Iran Talks Updates

P5+1 and Iran have decided to extend JPOA measures until 7 July to allow more time for negotiations to reach a long term solution, said Marie Harf, U.S. State Department spokeswoman. Ministers are expected to leave Vienna on Wednesday morning. Next ministerial meeting will probably be held on 5 July.  

President Obama said he was hoping to reach a deal with Iran, but questioned whether Iran will agree to the outlines of the framework agreement reached in Lausanne, given recent statements out of Tehran (Ayatollah Khamenei's redlines). "Ultimately this is going to be up to the Iranians," Obama added.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani vows forceful return to "previous path," much sooner than "the other side could even imagine," if a nuclear agreement is violated. He did not make it clear if he believes there will be a final deal to begin with.

Secretary Kerry and Russian FM Lavrov hold a two-hour bilat meeting. Lavrov said after the meeting that progress has been made and discussions on some "procedural" issues will continue. He later said the deal is "within reach."

Atomic Organization chief Ali Akbar Salehi and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz meet one-on-one.

After 2 hours of one-on-one between Kerry and Zarif, there was a U.S.-Iran bilat including Kerry, Zarif, Salehi, Moniz, Fereydoun, Sherman.

Kerry and Zarif met one-on-one after the Iranian FM came back from consultations in Tehran with Khamenei and Rouhani. The meeting lasted 1 3/4 hours. Kerry said they had "good conversations." Zarif said he was in Vienna to get a final deal; "And I think we can," he added.

Iran's Foreign Minister Zarif returns to Vienna, along with Atomic Organization chief Ali Akbar Salehi and Hossein Fereydoun, President Rouhani’s brother and confidant.

Russian FM Sergey Lavrov and German FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier will arrive in Vienna on Tuesday to join Secretary John Kerry and French FM Laurent Fabius.

Deadline for the talks is midnight. Expected to be missed, with talks continuing for few more days.

Source: Twitter accounts of @lrozen and other reporters covering Iran Talks Vienna.

Kerry at Iran’s UN Ambassador’s Official Residence in NYC

Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif this afternoon at the official residence of the Iranian ambassador to the UN in New York City. This is a rare symbolic move to have a secretary of state entering Iran’s soil for the first time since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is accompanying Kerry in his visit to the Upper East Side residence.

Today when asked by reporters how Iran nuclear talks were progressing, Kerry replied, “We’re plugging away, we’re plugging away.”

Earlier in the day, speaking at the UN on the opening day of a month-long conference on nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Kerry said Iran and world powers were closer than ever to a historic Iran nuclear deal. 

Photo credit: Secretary of State John Kerry with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif at the official residence of the Iranian Ambassador to the UN at the Upper East Side, New York City; also pictured Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (@marieharf/Twitter)