Sunday Times 2
Iran, US eye ‘intense’ month to seal historic deal
View(s):GENEVA, May 30, (AFP) -US top diplomat John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart will Saturday launch a new high-stakes diplomatic drive to nail down an unprecedented nuclear deal as they hurtle towards a deadline just one month away.
US officials warned the weeks leading to June 30 would be intense, vowing to “keep the pressure on” to force the Iranians and everyone at the table to make the “tough decisions” needed to end a 12-year standoff and put a nuclear bomb beyond Iran’s reach.
Sealing a long-elusive deal with the Islamic republic could prove President Barack Obama’s lasting foreign policy achievement.
But after three decades of enmity, it may also pave the way towards better ties between Washington and the Shiite regional power, bringing Iran back into the international fold and creating fresh impetus to resolve a host of conflicts grown ever more perilous in the Middle East.
Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet once again in Geneva, as the United States with its partners — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — seek to finalise the complex pact.