(Bloomberg) John Follain, Indira Lakshmanan and Kambiz Foroohar - As the Iran nuclear talks grind on in Vienna, frustrations have boiled over into decidedly undiplomatic confrontations. In one incident on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif could be heard shouting in nearby rooms. In another meeting on the weapons embargo, Zarif erupted again when Western powers talked of Iran's role in roiling the Middle East. "If we are talking about regional security, I should take every one of you to international courts for supporting Saddam [Hussein]," Zarif said. Another clash on Monday involved Zarif telling Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief, to lay off the "threats." An account provided by Russia's RIA Novosti said a senior official (later identified as Mogherini) told Zarif that if he didn't want to reach a deal, they could end the talks right then and there. According to RIA, Zarif snapped back: "Never try to threaten the Iranians."
2015-07-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive