Spokesman: Iran Open to Extension of Nuclear Talks Deadline if Necessary
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the spokesman for the Iranian administration, said the country would agree to the extension of the deadline for a nuclear deal with six world powers beyond June 30 should that help resolve the possible remaining ambiguities.
"If a good deal that the Islamic Republic of Iran is after is not reached and there remain ambiguities that could be resolved with an extension of the time of the negotiations, we will naturally agree on such an extension," Nobakht said on Wednesday.
He, nonetheless, expressed the hope that a long-awaited deal on Iran's peaceful nuclear program would be clinched in a timely manner.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) are negotiating to hammer out a lasting accord that would end more than a decade of impasse over Tehran's civilian nuclear program.
On April 2, the two sides reached a framework nuclear agreement in Lausanne, Switzerland, with both sides committed to push for a final deal until the end of June.
Earlier on Monday, US State Department spokesman John Kirby said the "date is not more important than the deal" but stressed that administration officials "continue to be focused on June 30th as the goal and the objective."