Nuclear Talks: Struggle to Overcome Deadlock

Iran and P5+1 struggled on Saturday to break a deadlock in nuclear talks. They have given themselves until Monday to reach an agreement, their third extension in two weeks.

A UN Security Council resolution, passed in 2006, imposing embargo and ban on Iran’s ballistic missiles program and arms import is among the biggest remaining sticking points, Al-Monitor’s Ali Hashem reported today. Iran wants the ban lifted immediately if an agreement is reached, even though other restrictions, like enrichment capacity, stay in place for a decade or more.

Russia, which sells arms to Iran, has publicly supported the Iranian position, but Reuters quoted a senior Western official earlier in the week as saying that the six major powers remain united over the issue, despite Moscow’s and Beijing’s well-known dislike of embargoes.

Other problematic issues in the talks are reportedly access for inspectors to military sites in Iran, answers from Tehran over past activity suspected to have been related to research on nuclear weapons, and the overall speed of sanctions relief. (Al-Monitor, 11 July)