US Warns It Is Ready to Walk Away From Iran Nuclear Talks

[Chef Ramsay]

With only weeks left to the deadline to reach a first-stage nuclear deal with Iran, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday that "significant gaps" remained and warned that America was ready to walk away from the talks if Tehran doesn't agree to terms demonstrating that it doesn't want atomic arms.

Kerry spoke after the Iranian Atomic Energy chief Ali Akbar Salehi and U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz added their muscle to the talks for the first time to help resolve technical disputes standing in the way of an agreement meant to curb Iran's nuclear programs in exchange for sanctions relief for the Islamic Republic.

But Kerry warned against undue optimism. Salehi's and Moniz's presence is no "indication whatsoever that something is about to be decided," he said. "There are still significant gaps."

World powers and Iran have set an end of March deadline for a framework agreement, with four further months for the technical work to be ironed out. The talks have missed two previous deadlines, and President Barack Obama has said a further extension would make little sense without a basis for continuing discussions.

Kerry, who flies to Geneva Sunday from London, said there was no doubt Obama was serious. The president, he said, "is fully prepared to stop these talks if he feels that they're not being met with the kind of productive decision-making necessary to prove that a program is in fact peaceful."

If the talks fail, Obama may be unable to continue holding off Congress from passing new sanctions against Iran. That, in turn, could scuttle any further diplomatic solution to U.S.-led attempts to increase the time Tehran would need to be able to make nuclear arms. Iran denies any interest in such weapons.

Skepticism about the negotiations already is strong among congressional hardliners, Washington's closest Arab allies and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to strongly criticize them in an address the U.S. Congress early next month.

Western officials say the U.S. decided to send Moniz only after Iran announced that Salehi was coming. They were expected to discuss the number of centrifuges Iran can operate to enrich uranium; how much enriched material it can stockpile; what research and development it may pursue related to enrichment, and the future of a planned heavy water reactor that could produce substantial amounts of plutonium — which like enriched uranium is a potential pathway to nuclear arms.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is also at the talks, and Kerry is to meet him Sunday and Monday.

For months, the negotiations have been primarily between Washington and Tehran. But Kerry insisted "there is absolutely no divergence" between the U.S. and the five other powers — Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany — over what Iran needed to agree to, "to prove that its nuclear program is going to be peaceful in the future."

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/top-us-iranian-nuke-officials-joining-iran-talks-29123530

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[Chef Ramsay]

Arab nations said deeply worried by Iran nuke deal
Leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE join Israel in conveying concerns to US over emerging accord with Tehran, Wall Street Journal reports

Arab nations have joined Israel in expressing concern over the emerging details of a US-led international nuclear deal with Iran, indicating in private talks with US officials that they are worried about the apparent terms of the agreement, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

Though Arab officials have been careful not to side with Israel in their stated positions, their worries over the possibility of a nuclear-armed Tehran are in fact similar to those of Jerusalem, and their attitudes towards the current state of nuclear talks between Tehran and Western powers are similarly pessimistic, according to the report.

Leaders of Sunni states such as Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia fear a bad deal with Tehran would allow it, with the removal of sanctions, to become a nuclear threshold state, the WSJ reported. They say it could also lead to a nuclear arms race in the region.

“At this stage, we prefer a collapse of the diplomatic process to a bad deal,” an official from an unnamed Arab nation told the paper.

More...http://www.timesofisrael.com/arab-nations-said-deeply-concerned-over-nuclear-agreement/

[u9y42]

Arab nations said deeply worried by Iran nuke deal
Leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE join Israel in conveying concerns to US over emerging accord with Tehran, Wall Street Journal reports

Arab nations have joined Israel in expressing concern over the emerging details of a US-led international nuclear deal with Iran, indicating in private talks with US officials that they are worried about the apparent terms of the agreement, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

Though Arab officials have been careful not to side with Israel in their stated positions, their worries over the possibility of a nuclear-armed Tehran are in fact similar to those of Jerusalem, and their attitudes towards the current state of nuclear talks between Tehran and Western powers are similarly pessimistic, according to the report.

Leaders of Sunni states such as Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia fear a bad deal with Tehran would allow it, with the removal of sanctions, to become a nuclear threshold state, the WSJ reported. They say it could also lead to a nuclear arms race in the region.

“At this stage, we prefer a collapse of the diplomatic process to a bad deal,” an official from an unnamed Arab nation told the paper.

More...http://www.timesofisrael.com/arab-nations-said-deeply-concerned-over-nuclear-agreement/

It's probably relevant to point out that "Arab nations" here mostly means the leaders/western backed dictators. So, it's no surprise they might hold such a position, though as we know from Wikileaks, polls in the region, and other sources, the public opinion is quite different - to a lot of them, the US and Israel are the most threatening, not Iran, and not even a nuclear armed Iran.

Also might be worthy of mention that, if they are really concerned about a nuclear arms race occurring in the region, one way would be to institute a "nuclear weapons free zone" on the whole area - needless to say they'll never go that far, since that goes against their actual interests and US interests in the region.

[Chef Ramsay]

Historic US-Iran nuclear deal could be taking shape

GENEVA (AP) — Edging toward a historic compromise, the U.S. and Iran reported progress Monday on a deal that would clamp down on Tehran's nuclear activities for at least 10 years but then slowly ease restrictions on programs that could be used to make atomic arms.

Officials said there were still obstacles to overcome before a March 31 deadline, and any deal will face harsh opposition in both countries. It also would be sure to further strain already-tense U.S. relations with Israel, whose leaders oppose any agreement that doesn't end Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to strongly criticize the deal in an address before Congress next week.

Still, a comprehensive pact could ease 35 years of U.S-Iranian enmity — and seems within reach for the first time in more than a decade of negotiations.

"We made progress," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said as he bade farewell to members of the American delegation at the table with Iran. More discussions between Iran and the six nations engaging it were set for next Monday, a senior U.S. official said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the sides found "a better understanding" at the negotiating table.

Western officials familiar with the talks cited movement but also described the discussions as a moving target, meaning changes in any one area would have repercussions for other parts of the negotiation.

The core idea would be to reward Iran for good behavior over the last years of any agreement, gradually lifting constraints on its uranium enrichment and slowly easing economic sanctions.

More...http://news.yahoo.com/phased-us-iran-nuclear-deal-taking-shape-112339907--politics.html

[Agestorzrxx]

So if we don't get our way, we're going to walk away and let them go on developing nuclear technology? Sounds like they won the battle of "diplomacy".

[Madness]

It's really cool and funny how US can own Nuclear bombs and shit , and the others countries simply can't . *world peace* yep right

~ Madness

[Lethn]

It's really cool and funny how US can own Nuclear bombs and shit , and the others countries simply can't . *world peace* yep right

~ Madness

They are also the only nation in history to have ever used these devices on civilians, with lots of people trying to claim without it they wouldn't have won or they casualties would be enormous for there side.

[Madness]

It's really cool and funny how US can own Nuclear bombs and shit , and the others countries simply can't . *world peace* yep right

~ Madness

They are also the only nation in history to have ever used these devices on civilians, with lots of people trying to claim without it they wouldn't have won or they casualties would be enormous for there side.

I know right , they are full of bullshit .
Like with sadam in Iraq (We know that they have no weapons of mass destruction but let's enter and kill him and takes Iraq's oil , shall we ?)

~ Madness

[NUFCrichard]

It's really cool and funny how US can own Nuclear bombs and shit , and the others countries simply can't . *world peace* yep right

~ Madness

They are also the only nation in history to have ever used these devices on civilians, with lots of people trying to claim without it they wouldn't have won or they casualties would be enormous for there side.

I know right , they are full of bullshit .
Like with sadam in Iraq (We know that they have no weapons of mass destruction but let's enter and kill him and takes Iraq's oil , shall we ?)

~ Madness

With all of the conflicts going on in the world, be it with ISIS or Ukraine or Nigeria or possible future problems between China and Japan, my main fear would always be that the Americans get involved and use nukes.
I really don't think any other nation is gung ho or stupid enough to do it, but America has done it before and I think they would do it again, in order to act first against possible aggreassion against them.

[tee-rex]

It's really cool and funny how US can own Nuclear bombs and shit , and the others countries simply can't . *world peace* yep right

~ Madness

They are also the only nation in history to have ever used these devices on civilians, with lots of people trying to claim without it they wouldn't have won or they casualties would be enormous for there side.

Nowadays many people already believe that it was the USSR who actually nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In a few decades this will be taken for granted, so don't be surprised when Japan starts to demand reparations from Russia one day.

[Lethn]

It's really cool and funny how US can own Nuclear bombs and shit , and the others countries simply can't . *world peace* yep right

~ Madness

They are also the only nation in history to have ever used these devices on civilians, with lots of people trying to claim without it they wouldn't have won or they casualties would be enormous for there side.

Nowadays many people already believe that it was the USSR who actually nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In a few decades this will be taken for granted, so don't be surprised when Japan starts to demand reparations from Russia one day.

Holy shit they don't do they? Then again I've seen what's been posted up about what some Americans believe on history so I wouldn't be surprised.

[freedomno1]

It's really cool and funny how US can own Nuclear bombs and shit , and the others countries simply can't . *world peace* yep right

~ Madness

They are also the only nation in history to have ever used these devices on civilians, with lots of people trying to claim without it they wouldn't have won or they casualties would be enormous for there side.

Nowadays many people already believe that it was the USSR who actually nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In a few decades this will be taken for granted, so don't be surprised when Japan starts to demand reparations from Russia one day.

That would be an epic failure of history
Then again with media brainwashing it might be problematic
(Anyways looks like they are back on the table again, although Israel is going to do a speech and then things will go south again lol)
My 2 cents on it kind of sucks for the people in Iran 30 years of boycott hurts when your trying to develop.