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John Kerry
US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to the media after closed-door nuclear talks on Iran taking place in Vienna. Photograph: Ronald Zak /AP Photograph: Ronald Zak/AP
US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to the media after closed-door nuclear talks on Iran taking place in Vienna. Photograph: Ronald Zak /AP Photograph: Ronald Zak/AP

Obama indicates extension to Iran nuclear talks as deadline looms

This article is more than 9 years old

US secretary of state John Kerry returned from Vienna to brief President Obama on delicate state of nuclear negotiations with Iranians

US President Barack Obama has signalled he may be willing to extend the nuclear talks with Iran that, while temporarily halting Tehran's nuclear program, have not yet produced the kind of historic agreement they hoped would be possible in the short term.

Obama raised the prospect of extending the talks on Wednesday, in a tacit admission that the negotiations are unlikely to yield a historic agreement by the end of this week, when a previously agreed deadline falls due. He made the remarks shortly after meeting with his secretary of state, John Kerry, who had returned to Washington from Vienna, where negotiations are ongoing.

Diplomats told the Associated Press that Iran and other world powers involved in the talks – Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia – have tentatively decided to extend the talks beyond the original deadline that falls this Sunday. "There are still significant gaps between the international community and Iran and we have more work to do," Obama said in a statement from the White House. "So over the next few days, we'll continue consulting with Congress, and our team will continue discussions with Iran and our partners, as we determine whether additional time is necessary to extend our negotiations."

Obama administration officials have in recent days been stressing the advances made during the temporary, six-month agreement in which Iran halted its nuclear program in exchange for some sanctions relief, as a condition of the current talks. Obama struck a similar tone. "It is clear to me we've made real progress in several areas, and that we have a credible way forward," he said. "Over the last six months, Iran has met its commitments under the interim deal we reached last year, halting the progress of its nuclear program, allowing more inspections and rolling back its most dangerous stockpile of nuclear material," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest conceded that much remained to be done. "Part of secretary Kerry’s consultations with the president will involve a discussion about the path forward, which reflects the fact that some gaps remain here, just four days before the preset deadline for these negotiations to end."

Iranian journalists accompanying Tehran's diplomatic delegation in Vienna reported on Wednesday that ongoing nuclear talks will draw to a close this Friday but will be extended for a few months, citing an unnamed official.

"It is not clear for how much time the negotiations will be extended for," the semi-official Fars news agency reported. "Talks are currently under way about the period of an extension and the conditions under which it will be allowed." Fars, which is affiliated with Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, said the completion of the talks this week did not mean negotiations had failed.

Similar reports were published by other Iranian news agencies, including the state news agency Irna, which said the Islamic republic had not yet officially consented to the extension.

Isna, another Iranian news agency reporting from Vienna, quoted an anonymous Iranian official as saying that talks will finish, for now, on Friday. "Negotiations between Iran and P5+1 will be extended for a few months so that we can work on drafting a comprehensive agreement,” Isna quoted the official as saying.

According to the unnamed Iranian official, differences about Tehran's enrichment capacity have been the sticking point preventing diplomats from reaching a final deal.

More on this story

More on this story

  • Iran needs greater uranium enrichment capacity, says Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

  • Iran opposes US intervention in Iraq, says Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

  • Iran sets deadline for nuclear programme deal

  • A nuclear deal with Iran by 20 July is still on the cards

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