A nuclear agreement with Iran is possible this week if Iran makes the “hard choices” necessary, but if not, the U.S. stands ready to walk away from the negotiations, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday.
Speaking in Vienna on Sunday, Kerry said: “If hard choices get made in the next couple of days, made quickly, we could get an agreement this week, but if they are not made we will not,”
Kerry said negotiators were still aiming for the Tuesday deadline, but other diplomats have said the talks could slip to July 9, the date by which the Obama administration must submit a deal to Congress in order to get an expedited, 30-day review.
The agreement under discussion would require Iran to curb its most sensitive nuclear work for a decade or more in exchange for relief from sanctions that have slashed its oil exports and crippled its economy.
Foreign ministers from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia began arriving on Sunday evening as the major powers make a push to meet the deadline for a final agreement to end the 12-year-old dispute.
European officials also said the onus was on Iran to cut a deal. After arriving in Vienna, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters the main question was whether Iranian regime would make “clear commitments” on unresolved issues.
