Iran nuclear talks go down to the wire

‘We will not allow a bad deal’: German envoy

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND • Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program reached a critical phase Monday with diplomats struggling to overcome substantial differences just a day before a deadline for the outline of an agreement.

The top diplomats from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany (P5+1) were meeting with Iran to try to bridge remaining gaps and hammer out an understanding that would serve as the basis for a final accord, to be reached by the end of June.

“We are working late into the night and obviously into tomorrow,” said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been meeting his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, in Lausanne since Thursday in an intense effort to reach a political understanding on terms that would curb Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

“There is a little more light there today, but there are still some tricky issues. Everyone knows the meaning of tomorrow.”

The two sides have made some progress, with Iran considering demands for further cuts to its uranium enrichment program but pushing back on how long it must limit technology it could use to make atomic arms. Differ- ences also remain on the timing and scope of sanctions removal.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Iran’s expectations from the talks are “very ambitious” and not yet acceptable to the P5+1.

“We will not allow a bad deal. We will only arrive at a document that is ready to sign if it ... excludes Iran getting access to nuclear weapons.”

In particular, Mr. Steinmeier said the question of limits on research and development Iran would be allowed to continue was problematic.

Other officials said the issue of the scope and timing of sanctions relief was also a major sticking point.

The Obama administration says any deal will stretch the time Iran needs to make a nuclear weapon from the present two to three months to at least a year. But critics object that it would keep Tehran’s nuclear technology intact.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the forefront of accusations Iran has been helping Shiite rebels advance in Yemen, says the deal in the works in Lausanne sends the message “there is a reward for Iran’s aggression.”