US and Iranian diplomats locked in marathon nuclear talks

Iran and world powers made progress on future sanctions relief for Iran in marathon nuclear talks in Vienna aimed at reaching a comprehensive accord by next week.   

However, sources close to the talks in the Austrian capital say a number of outstanding issues remain, including inspection guidelines and rules governing nuclear research and development.  

Officials described sanctions relief as one of the thorniest disagreements between Iran and the United States

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif are meeting Sunday in Vienna to iron out some of the remaining stumbling blocks  ahead of July 7 deadline.

Western powers plus Russia and Iran are hoping to clinch a deal by Tuesday, setting a decade of restrictions on Iran's nuclear programme and giving Iran significant relief from international sanctions.

Top diplomats from five other negotiating countries are expected to start returning to Vienna later on Sunday. 

'Making progress' 

Diplomats Saturday reported a tentative agreement on the speed and scope of sanctions relief.

On Saturday, negotiators were reported to have drawn up a draft document on the pace and timing of sanctions relief for the Islamic republic in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear programme, advancing on one of the most contentious issues at their negotiations, sources said on Saturday. 

Written by technical experts, the document still must be approved by senior officials of the seven nations at the table, including Kerry, his Iranian couterpart Zarif and the foreign ministers of the five other countries expected to join talks in Vienna this weekend for a push to meet a July 7 deadline. 

Officials had described sanctions relief as one of the thorniest disagreements between Iran and the United States, which has led the campaign of international pressure against Iran's economy.

The west and its Israeli ally as well as Russia say Iranian enrichment of uranium and other activity could be designed to make nuclear weapons; Iran says its programme is meant only to generate power and for other peaceful purposes, insistsing it is a sovereign right of all states.

The diplomats said the sanctions annex was completed this week by experts from Iran and the six world powers in the negotiations: the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia. They did not provide details of the agreement.   

A senior US official did not dispute the diplomats' account but said work remained to be done on "Annex II" before the issue could be described as finalised. And beyond a political agreement that was still in the draft stage, details also needed to be finalized on tough issues contained in four other appendices.  

They include inspection guidelines, rules governing Iran's research and development of advanced nuclear technology and the nuts and bolts of reducing the size and output of Iran's uranium enrichment programme. 

'Sequencing'

As part of a deal, the Obama administration also wants Iran to fully cooperate with the UN International Atomic Energy Agency's investigation of allegations that Tehran worked secretly on nuclear arms, something Iran vehemently denies. But chances of progress on that issue appear to be dimming.

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano told reporters on Saturday that "more work will be needed" to advance the investigation. 

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said after Thursday's meeting in Tehran with Amano that the IAEA now understands that the "pointless allegations" are "baseless."

Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have made repeated demands for economic penalties to be lifted shortly after a deal is reached. Washington and its partners have said they'd take action after Iran verifiably complies with restrictions on enrichment and other elements of the nuclear programme. 

Much of the negotiation on the matter has concerned sequencing, so that both sides can legitimately claim to have gotten their way. 

Several other matters related to sanctions also had posed problems.

The Obama administration cannot move too quickly to remove economic penalties because of Congress, which will have a 30-day review period for any agreement during which no sanctions can be waived. 

American officials also had been struggling to separate the "nuclear-related" sanctions it is prepared to suspend from those it wishes to keep, including measures designed to counteract Iranian ballistic missile efforts, human rights violations and support for US-designated terrorist organizations. 

And to keep pressure on Iran, world powers had been hoping to finalise a system for reimposing suspended sanctions if needed.

Russia has traditionally opposed any plan that would see them lose their UN veto power and a senior Russian negotiator said only this week that his government rejected any automatic "snapback" of sanctions.