Obama Opens Door to Extending Iran Nuclear Negotiations
By Indira A.R. Lakshmanan Jul 17, 2014 1:26 AM ET
U.S. President Barack Obama raised the possibility of extending talks with Iran over its disputed nuclear program, suggesting that a comprehensive accord won’t be reached before an interim deal expires July 20.
“There are still some significant gaps between the international community and Iran, and we have more work to do,” Obama told reporters at the White House yesterday.
Those gaps include the key issue of Iran’s uranium-enrichment capability, according to U.S. and Iranian officials. Iran wants more clarity over how sanctions will be lifted. A failure to reach an agreement would again put the U.S. and Iran on a collision course over the Islamic republic’s potential to build nuclear weapons.
“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 said.
Robert Einhorn, formerly the State Department’s nuclear nonproliferation adviser and part of the U.S. negotiating team, said that in his view “clearly” the U.S., its partners and Iran have decided to pursue an extension.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-17/obama-opens-door-to-extending-iran-nuclear-negotiations.html