Iranian and U.S. negotiators meeting in Switzerland Wednesday were upbeat about discussions on a possible nuclear deal as a deadline for an agreement loomed.
U.S. and Iranian officials said they felt positive about the separate talks between Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the political side and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s nuclear program, on the technical side.
But neither Tehran nor Washington would predict whether the discussions would result in a political framework for a deal by the self-imposed March 24 deadline that U.S. lawmakers have been using as a benchmark, or by the end of the month, the goal Obama administration officials say they are shooting for.
“The discussions have been professional and fruitful in terms of identifying the technical issues — clarifying them, sharpening them, and looking at the options on the table for a potential agreement,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Wednesday.
Iranian First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri told the official Islamic Republic News Agency that the talks were in “a very complicated and sensitive stage.”
“When we have started stepping into a path and starting work with a motivation, we will definitely lead it to a satisfactory outcome,” he said.
In Washington, meanwhile, lawmakers said they are waiting to see what comes out of the talks before deciding whether to proceed with legislation that would impose tough new sanctions on Iran if no final agreement is reached by the expiration of an interim deal July 1.
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll see then. There are all kind of scenarios,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.
“I am not going to get into details until we see an agreement,” added Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., a member of the Democratic Senate leadership.
However, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans to move forward next week with legislation that would require President Obama to submit any deal to Congress for approval. Though Obama has refused to do so, most Republicans and many Democrats insist Congress should have a say in an agreement.
