Western Officials: 6-Month Extension of Deadline for Iran’s Nuclear Deal Possible
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – While Iran and six world powers resumed nuclear talks on Thursday aimed at clinching a long-term deal before a July 20 deadline, some Western officials privately acknowledged that an extension of up to half a year of the deadline might be needed.
July 20 is the expiry date of an interim accord that granted Iran modest relief from economic sanctions after it curbed some aspects of its nuclear work. But an extension of up to half a year of the deadline for a long-term accord is possible, Reuters reported some Western officials as saying.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) officially opened the 6th round of nuclear negotiations in the Austrian capital city of Vienna on Thursday.
The two sides have less than three weeks to try to agree on the future dimensions of Tehran's nuclear program and other issues if they are to meet a self-imposed July 20 deadline for a deal.
On Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister and the chief nuclear negotiator Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Vienna, heading a high-profile delegation.
Zarif attended a trilateral meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and the US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns. Issues related to the nuclear negotiations were discussed in the meeting that took nearly one hour.