Iran nuke talks 'stuck overnight', resume today after deadline missed

Tehran: A day after Iran and six world powers failed to reach a framework agreement or understanding within the stipulated deadline, the negotiations restarted on Wednesday.

P5+1 nations - the US, UK, France, China and Russia plus Germany - and Iran have been struggling to iron out their differences over complex technical details regarding the nuclear deal since last seven days.

 

The talks resumed on Wednesday at Lausanne's Beau-Rivage Palace hotel after overrunning a 31 March deadline for a deal.

 

Justifying the talks continuing past the set deadline of March 31, the US says that enough progress has been made in the negotiations so far.

 

Also, Iran and Russia have agreed that the global powers have reached "an agreement in principle on all key aspects of the final settlement".

 

Describing the strenuous talks session, a German diplomat has said that the talks had become stuck overnight on several important issues, reported the AFP.

"Last night the talks got stuck on several important issues. Technical experts worked all night. Now a stocktaking is taking place among ministers," the diplomat said, adding that progress was "noticeable... Nothing is decided but with good will an agreement (is possible),” AFP quoted him as saying.

After the talks last broke in the early hours of Wednesday, Iran FM Javad Zarif said solutions to many of the problems had been found and that documents attesting to that would soon be drafted. Other officials were more skeptical.

Asked how high the chances of success were, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: "I cannot say." And British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Iran might still not be ready to accept what is on the table.

"I'm optimistic that we will make further progress this morning but it does mean the Iranians being willing to meet us where there are still issues to deal with," Hammond told British reporters. "Fingers crossed and we'll hope to get there during the course of the day."

Although the Chinese, French and Russian ministers left their deputies in charge, Kerry postponed his planned Tuesday departure to stay in Lausanne, and an Iranian negotiator said his team would stay "as long as necessary" to clear the remaining hurdles.

Officials say their intention is to produce a joint statement outlining general political commitments to resolving concerns about Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, and their intention to begin a new phase of negotiations to get to that point. In addition, they are trying to fashion other documents that would lay out in more detail the steps they must take by June 30 to meet those goals.

The U.S. and its negotiating partners are demanding curbs on Iranian nuclear activities that could be used to make weapons, and they say any agreement must extend the time Tehran would need to produce a weapon from the present several months to at least a year. The Iranians deny such military intentions, but they are negotiating with the aim that a deal will end sanctions on their economy.

With Agency Inputs