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In Nuclear Talks, Iran Seeks to Avoid Specifics

(New York Times) David E. Sanger and Michael R. Gordon - Over the past few weeks, Iran has increasingly resisted any kind of formal "framework" agreement to limit its nuclear capability at this stage in the negotiations, preferring a more general statement of "understanding" followed by a final accord in June, according to Western diplomats involved in the talks. Should that position hold, U.S. officials may find themselves describing the accord as they understand it while the Iranians go home to offer their own version. One European diplomat involved in the talks said, "The politics in America demand specificity, and an Iranian commitment. And the politics in Iran demand vagueness....All of us are in agreement that you don't make oral deals with Iran." Many in Congress took the March deadline for a political agreement announced by Secretary of State Kerry on Nov. 24 as a critical milestone for any accord. If the Iranians could not provide specifics by then, it was a sign that Iran was deliberately dragging out the process and needed to be further pressured by new sanctions.
2015-03-25 00:00:00
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