US and Iran address obstacles to nuclear deal as deadline nears
US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif for six hours on May 30 trying to overcome obstacles to a final nuclear agreement, a month ahead of a deadline for a deal between Tehran and six world powers.
They were the first substantive talks since Iran struck an interim accord with the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China on April 2.
"Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Zarif, along with their teams, had a thorough and comprehensive discussion of all of the issues today," a senior State Department official said, without elaborating.
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One of the issues still to be resolved is the push by the world powers for international access to Iran's military sites and its team of atomic experts. For its part, Tehran wants sanctions to be lifted immediately after a deal is reached.
A senior US official said earlier there had been substantial progress in negotiations in Vienna in recent weeks on drafting a political agreement and three technical annexes on curbing Tehran's nuclear program.
The United States has said it will not extend the talks beyond the June 30 deadline.
But France, which has demanded more stringent restrictions on the Iranians, has indicated discussions are likely to slip into July. Iran's senior nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi also warned that the deadline might need to be extended.
Kerry was due to visit Paris on June 1 after a quick trip to Madrid on May 31.