US and Iran report significant progress on nuclear talks

Washington appeared more cautious than Tehran, however, while Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei separately accused the US of using 'bullying' to try to turn Iranians against Islamic rule.

US secretary of state John Kerry arrives at the International Olympic Museum to deliver a statement about the recently concluded round of negotiations with Iran over their nuclear programme in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 21, 2015. Brian Snyder/AFP Photo/PoolShow less

LAUSANNE, Switzerland // The United States and Iran reported significant progress on Saturday towards a nuclear agreement, with the Iranian president declaring a deal within reach.

US secretary of state John Kerry was more reserved, however, leaving open whether world powers and Tehran would meet a March 31 deadline.

It came as Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused the US on Saturday of using economic pressure and “bullying” to try to turn Iranians against Islamic rule, underscoring his long-held mistrust of Tehran’s main negotiating partner in nuclear talks.

Amid shouts of “Death to America”, Mr Khamenei, who has the last word on all matters of state, said in a speech that Tehran was negotiating with major powers solely on the nuclear dispute and not about regional matters – an apparent reference to conflicts and instability in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

The West suspects Iran of seeking the ability to produce nuclear weapons and the United Nations has imposed stringent economic sanctions on Tehran. However, Iran says its programme is intended only for peaceful purposes, such as medical technology and nuclear energy, and wants the swift lifting of sanctions.

Speaking after a week of nuclear negotiations in Switzerland, Mr Kerry challenged Iran to make “fundamental decisions” that prove to the world it has no interest in atomic weapons.

Amid conflicting statements by officials about how close the sides were, the US’ top diplomat said: “We have an opportunity to try to get this right.”

The talks, which resume next week, “have made substantial progress though important gaps remain”, Mr Kerry said.

In Tehran, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani was more optimistic. “Achieving a deal is possible,” he said. “There is nothing that can’t be resolved.”

Other negotiators have offered both positive and negative assessments. Top Russian negotiator Sergey Ryabkov and Iran’s atomic energy chief Ali Akbar Salehi have said in recent days that technical work was nearly done. But French officials said the opposite, declaring the sides far from any agreement.

Mr Kerry was departing Switzerland later on Saturday to meet with European allies in London, before returning to Washington – in part to ensure unity. Mr Kerry said the US and its five negotiating partners – Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia – are “united in our goal, our approach, our resolve and our determination.”

But France, which raised last minute objections to an interim agreement reached with Iran in 2013, could threaten a deal again. It is particularly opposed to providing Iran with quick relief from international sanctions and wants a longer time frame for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activity.

On Friday, France’s ambassador to the US said on Twitter that talk about needing a deal by March 31 was a “bad tactic” that is “counterproductive and dangerous.” Gerard Araud called it an “artificial deadline” and said negotiators should focus instead on the next phase – reaching a complete agreement by the end of June.

Mr Kerry said the US wasn’t rushing into a pact, however, stressing that the latest stab at a diplomatic settlement with Iran has gone on for two-and-a-half years. “We don’t want just any deal,” he said. “If we had, we could have announced something a long time ago.”

But, he added, decisions “don’t get any easier as time goes by.”

“It’s time to make hard decisions,” Mr Kerry said. “We want the right deal that would make the world, including the United States and our closest allies and partners, safer and more secure. And that is our test.”

Washington has yet to say what it will do if talks miss the March deadline, but the stakes are high. The Obama administration has warned that a diplomatic failure could lead to an ever tougher dilemma: whether to launch a military attack on Iran or allow it to reach nuclear weapons capacity.

A more immediate challenge may be intervention from the US Congress. If US lawmakers pass new economic sanctions on Iran, the Islamic Republic could respond by busting through the interim limits on its nuclear programme that it agreed to 16 months ago. Until now, it has stuck to that agreement.

* Associated Press and Reuters