Iran has returned to the negotiating table with six world powers – the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany – on Friday with a mere two months left to overcome the obstacles that are impeding a deal to curb the nation’s nuclear program.
The seven nations aren’t expected to make any major breakthroughs at the talks, which will continue until the end of next week, but pressure is on both sides to find a way to narrow the gaps. This is the first meeting between seven nations since July, when it was decided to extend the deadline for the deal to November 24, and the clock is still ticking.
On the eve of the talks, a senior administration official for the United States government downplayed people’s expectations, warning that “It’s tough, very tough.” The official, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “Coming into New York, I think many of us were not optimistic, but it is clear that everyone has come here to go to work.”
Iran has long denied that it’s seeking to develop a nuclear bomb, instead claiming that its nuclear program is for wholly peaceful purposes. The West, on the other hand, isn’t so sure, and has demanded that the Iranian government agree to bed monitored while also scaling back the production of fissile material that could be used to make a bomb.
“This is an opportunity, because everybody’s here,” said the anonymous official. “So we ought to make use of that to try to deal with all of these tough issues. There is no more room for Iran to play for time. We are willing to offer Iran a fair deal. However, for that to happen, Iran will need to move on the core issues.”
Read more about the story at The New York Times.
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